


Lifelines

by mind_P0llution



Category: Logan Lucky (2017)
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Brief Mentions of Medical Procedures, Drinking, F/M, Masturbation, Mentions of Blood/Injury, Oral Sex, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PIV Sex, PTSD, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tension, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, Unprotected Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Violence, body fluids, first fic go easy on me, mature language, prison romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:48:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23693401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mind_P0llution/pseuds/mind_P0llution
Summary: For Clyde Logan, Monroe Correctional was a place he wanted to leave in his past. He wanted to serve his 90 days, keep his head down, and move on. For you, accepting a job at Monroe and moving to West Virginia was a chance for a new beginning, a means to an end. What neither of you expected was that this chance encounter would form lifelines that neither were willing to lose. Can you both accept the past and move on?
Relationships: Clyde Logan/Reader
Comments: 33
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

No turning back now you solemnly think to yourself as you drive past the city limit sign for Madison, West Virginia. You have been driving for what seems like forever after completely uprooting your life back in Colorado. You needed a fresh start, and nothing screams “new beginnings” like quitting your job, selling your house, and moving across the country to work as a nurse in small city known for mining. What in the world have I gotten myself into? You think as you make your way down the long stretch of highway. 

The gravel crunches underneath the tires of the moving van, with your old Ford Bronco trailing behind it, as you pull into the driveway of the small cabin you rented until you can find something more permanent. You always dreamed of leaving the city life behind you to practice medicine in a rural community, but never thought it would become a reality. Things at home started to take a turn for the worse so you jumped at the opportunity for change. 

You sigh heavily as you unlock the door to your temporary home, finding a note on the countertop from your landlord, Sylvia, who also happens to be one of your new coworkers. This small-town business is foreign to you. You never would have agreed to rent this place if you knew that the owner was also someone you would be working with. However, you count your blessings as this was the only place you could find in your budget. You set down some of the bags you were holding and begin to read the note:

_Y/N,_

_I hope you and your belongings arrived safely and in one piece. On the counter you will see that I have left your name badge as well as a list of places around town that you might find helpful until you become more familiar with your surroundings. The nearest neighbor is about 1 mile up the road just past the creek, if you find yourself at the red barn you’ve gone too far. Everyone here is mighty friendly, so don’t be afraid to ask for directions. Rent is due the first of the month, and you can leave it in my mailbox on the rig. I look forward to meeting you officially in person. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions._

_Best regards,_

_Sylvia_

_PS- If anything needs fixing let me know and I’ll have my boyfriend, Jimmy, come patch it up no problem!_

You put the letter back down on the counter and slowly take in sight that is your new home. Sylvia had posted a few pictures in the ad, but mostly of the outside, and those pictures didn’t do this place any justice. Inside, it’s a cozy one-bedroom cabin that oozes “country charm” but has several modern touches. The kitchen is small, but it has everything you could need to cook up a quick meal. It connects to a cozy living area complete with large windows and a wood burning stove for heat. As you walk further down the hall, you find a large bedroom with an equally large master suite attached. You gasp in delight when you set your eyes on the clawfoot bathtub. You already know you’re going to need to decompress after working with hardened criminals, and the thought of a hot bubble bath is enough to make your toes curl.

You begin to unpack what little belongings you have, and before you know it the sun is setting and your stomach is growling. I need to get food you think to yourself as you pull your wild hair into a bun on top of your head and set out to find the nearest grocery store. You manage to safely navigate to the nearest Grocery Castle to buy the essentials. You get back home, cook dinner, and settle in for the night. You set your alarm for five o’clock tomorrow as it is your first day at Monroe County Correctional and you do not want to make a bad first impression knowing full well that gossip probably travels fast in this small town.

“Here’s to new beginnings” you say through a yawn suddenly second guessing your decision to move so far away from home. You reach over and turn off the light before pulling the blankets up to your chest, dozing off into restless sleep filled with tossing and turning.

* * *

Clyde Logan had been a “do-gooder” all his life, but when his brother, Jimmy, asked him for help with this last “cauliflower” stunt he couldn’t say no. He earned himself 90 days in the slammer for vehicular mischief, reckless endangerment, and destruction of private property. He whistled low while thinking to himself how lucky he had been that the judge had given him a break on account of his service in Iraq. 

“Vehicular mischief” he thinks to himself in disbelief as he’s escorted down cellblock 2W to his job in the health clinic--He aint never heard such a thing! 

As of today, Clyde had served 60 of those 90 days, and he is anxiously counting down until he is out of this place. He misses the outdoors, but most of all, he misses his bar. Clyde is the owner and bartender at Duck Tape Bar and Grill. He loses himself in thought about how he purchased the bar with the money he made after his two years of deployment in Iraq, which also happens to be where he lost his left forearm. Never in his life did he see himself being a business owner, his mama and papa were so proud when he told em’ the news. 

Clyde is pulled from his thoughts of the past when his escort suddenly stops “Here we are Clyde, tell Miss Donna I said Hi. I’ll come back round later to escort ya back with the resta’ the boys”.

“Sounds good Marcus, see ya round” the lumbering dark haired man says while waving back to the prison guard before he shuffles through the clinic doors. 

Clyde started working solely in the health clinic after he and Joe Bang finished up with all this “cauliflower business”. Since then, he has gotten to know the nursing staff quite well and they tend to give him a little more freedom which he can appreciate. 

Clyde begins to make his way to the nurses’ station to see what was on his “to do” list when he suddenly runs into Miss Donna, a small maternal woman, who’s keen on keepin’ all these men healthy and in check.  
“Oh Clyde! There you are honey!” Donna says while quickly snatching the list out of his right hand. “I need you to do me a favor before you start with this list.” Clyde bites the inside of his lip and furrows his eyebrows while listening intently, worried he’d end up on another one of her wild goose chases lookin’ for some piecea’ equipment he aint never heard of.

“We have a new nurse that just moved here from outta’ town and I need you to give her a quick tour of the place,” Donna beams brightly “Can you do that for me?” she asks all while pushing Clyde towards the break room. “She’s just over there hun, go on now, she won’t bite”.

Clyde sighs as he runs his large callused hand through his long black hair. Last time there was a new nurse in this clinic she didn’t last more than a week. He was hoping to himself that this newcomer had a little more grit then the last as Miss Donna needs all the help she can get ‘round here. He grabs a new hand sanitizer for the breakroom before making his way down the hall. 

He quietly pushes the door open to the break room pausing to see a you standing in front of your locker, biting your lip, while anxiously skimming over what looked to be an employee hand book. Clyde stands there quiet and expressionless, observing you as you hadn’t yet lifted your gaze from the booklet. His mind was going “a mile a minute” trying to process the women in front of him. It has either been entirely too long since he’s seen a woman like you, or you have got to be the prettiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on he thinks to himself. He blushes at the thoughts going through his head before quickly clearing his throat to grab your attention, hoping you don’t catch him lookin’ at ya like a deer in headlights. 

“Hi there Miss, I was asked by Miss Donna ta show ya ‘round the clinic here” Clyde says pursing his lips together while waiting for your reaction to him knowing full well he can come off as intimidatin’ at times 

You jump slightly, nerves high, as you had not heard him enter the room. You clumsily fumble with the book, placing it back into your empty locker before turning around and extending your hand to greet the large man in front of you.

“Hi there! You say looking up at him with a smile. “My name is Y/N, it’s a pleasure to meet you! Thank you so much for giving me a tour.” 

Clyde looks at your outstretched hand, quickly adjusting the bottle he is holding so that it rests between his stump and chest before extending his own right hand to join yours. You notice that he seems slightly self-conscious, but he quickly hides the fact.

“Name's Clyde. I work here in clinic every day, so if ya ever need anything or one a’ the boys is givin’ ya trouble just holler at me”. He says softly before promptly setting to work installing the new bottle of hand sanitizer, listening for your reply. 

You stand back and quickly take in the man before you. He’s tall, so tall he almost needs to duck his head to avoid hitting it on the door frame, with thick, dark wavy hair that frames his face. He is slightly tanned, probably from time spent out in the yard, with dark freckles and moles that scatter across his skin. He has a short, well-groomed mustache and goatee that frames his full lips that are currently set in a tight line as he focuses on his work. While he is wearing the standard issue correctional “onsie”, you can tell that underneath he has a muscular build. He keeps his stump close to his body and from the way that it looks, you determine it is an old injury. You’re guessing he usually wears a prosthetic, but for obvious reasons, the jail staff won’t allow him to wear it. You think to yourself how incredibly attractive he is, but you have a feeling he doesn’t quite realize that.

“Thanks Clyde, I appreciate that.” you say with a small smile while you try and imagine this seemingly gentle man put an unruly inmate at ease. He nods before making his way out to the hall, holding the door open for you while eyeing you intensely. 

You blush, and quickly look away before walking through the open door. You have got to be kidding me you think harshly to yourself while smiling at Clyde as you wait for him to take the lead. It’s your first day at your new job and you’re already ogling one of the inmates. Pull it together Y/N you think to yourself, then proceed to try and pay attention to anything but Clyde’s golden-brown eyes while he gives you the grand tour of the clinic.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Clyde Logan, Monroe Correctional was a place he wanted to leave in his past. He wanted to serve his 90 days, keep his head down, and move on. For you, accepting a job at Monroe and moving to West Virginia was a chance for a new beginning, a means to an end. What neither of you expected was that this chance encounter would form lifelines that neither were willing to lose. Can you both accept the past and move on?

A few days had passed since you received what you considered the “best tour of your life”, and your thoughts seemed to be filled with images of soft dark hair and constellations of freckles on tanned skin. Work at Monroe after that day was uneventful. You would see Clyde work around the clinic helping with random tasks, but he seemed to keep to himself, which is just what you need you think to yourself. You couldn’t afford to get mixed up in a work romance, not again, not after everything that happened back at home. You look in the mirror tiredly as you pull your hair up into a messy bun fastening it with a ribbon. You grab your stethoscope and keys before locking up and starting your trek to the mobile health clinic. Here you would be meeting Sylvia, your coworker/landlord for the first time. 

In addition to working at Monroe Correctional, you decided to also work a few days each month at Mobile Health West Virginia, a small nonprofit unit that provides healthcare to those who can’t get it by traditional means. 

You pull your car up beside a large RV, where you see a woman outside talking on the phone while drinking her morning coffee. When you get out you are greeted by a her. She’s a tall, slender women, with short dark hair, fair skin, and deep brown eyes. 

“Hi, you must be Y/N!” she reaches her hand out to shake yours with a smile on her face. “My name is Sylvia, so nice to finally meet you, come on, let me show ya the rig and we’ll head on out”.

You smile and follow her up the steps of the old RV. She wastes no time in getting you acclimated, and you already feel right at home before you see your first patient.   
Before you know it, you and Sylvia have already seen several clients and are stopping to grab something to eat at a local diner. You can already tell that you two are going to be fast friends.

“So how do you like working at Monroe? Sylvia asks while you two are waiting on your food. “Jimmy’s brother, Clyde, he works down in the clinic, have ya met him yet?” She laughs softly “He’s kinda’ hard ta miss…you know, big guy, looks grumpy most of the time, missing part of his left arm?”

You have got to be kidding me right now you think as your eyes grow wide with disbelief before you quickly attempt to mask your reaction. “Oh yes, Clyde! He is such a gentleman and Miss Donna just can’t say enough about him”   


Sylvia nods with a sly smile, it seems that she didn’t miss your reaction when she said Clyde’s name. “That man is loyal to the bone and jus’ as sweet as molasses on a hot summer day.” She says with a small smile that quickly turns into a frown. “He’s been through a lot you know” Sylvia pauses to stare out the window of the diner before she finishes “him and his family all have”. 

You nod in understanding while you push your food around on your plate. You have a feeling now is not the time to press the subject. As you two eat, you listen to Sylvia talk about how she knew Jimmy, Clyde, and Mellie from their years at Valley View high school and that she and Jimmy had only been dating for about a month now. 

You let your curiosity get the best of you, and you decide to take a chance and ask Sylvia more about Clyde. “How did Clyde even end up at Monroe?” you ask trying to seem less interested than you are, but you’re not sure Sylvia is buying it. “He doesn’t really seem to fit in with the rest of the crowd over there” you say before taking a bite of your food. 

Sylvia laughs lightly “Ya know it’s the darndest thing. He was gettin’ gas at the local quick shop just up the road here, and poor thing, his foot slipped off the gas pedal plowin’ him right into building”. She takes a quick bite of her food before proceeding. “Thing is, when Clyde got back from Iraq and was still learning to drive with his prosthetic, he managed to run right inta’ the back of mayor Nelson’s car.” She covers her mouth with her hand as she laughs, probably imagining the scene in her head. “He was so embarrassed and jus’ felt god awful ‘bout the whole thing, but due to the circumstance his license was revoked.” She pauses to dig her wallet out of her purse while you do the you do the same. “So, this time ‘round, judge couldn’t let him off with a warning since he shouldn’t have been drivin’ in the first place”. 

You stare at her incredulously while asking “So he’s in jail because he’s not the best at driving?” 

“Yup!” She says with a big grin as you both put money on the table for your meals and head back to the rig. 

No wonder why nurse Donna loves Clyde so much you think to yourself as you walk with Sylvia to the RV. Among the murders, thieves, and conmen--there is this brooding, but gentle man, who ended up there from a genuine mistake. 

Clyde is definitely less of an enigma to you now, but knowing all this information doesn’t help to lessen your attraction to him. You were hoping Sylvia would say he was some sort of axe murderer, but instead she made it more difficult for you to not be drawn to Clyde Logan. 

=========================================================================================================================

Clyde couldn’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout you after your first day in the clinic. He tried not to pay too much attention to you while he was showin’ you ‘round the other day, but he couldn’t help notice the way that you looked at him--really looked at him while he was talkin’.

While he’s used to gettin’ attention, he’s never had anyone focus much on what he had ta say without payin’ any mind to his arm. He understands that you’re a nurse, an you’re probably used ta seein’ things like that, but he couldn’t help to think that maybe there was something more to it. 

Every once in awhile he would steal glances at you during the day, and couldn’t help but think how cute you were trying to learn the ropes from Miss Donna. He could tell you had a fiery spirit and you probably wouldn’t need much help puttin’ rowdy men in their place, but he couldn’t help himself from clenching his fist at the thought of other inmates trying to be ungentlemanly towards you. 

“Yer over thinkin’ it Logan, she’s jus bein’ nice is all” Clyde says to himself as puts away one of the many books that Mellie has brought. 

He can’t help but hope that you’re working today as you weren’t in the clinic yesterday. He’s never been so interested in people’s work schedules ‘round here as he is now.   
When Marcus drops him off at the clinic today, he’s not quite himself, he’s distracted. His eyes light up when he sees you workin’ on some paperwork. In his preoccupied state he runs his stump into a sharp corner on a medcart.

He hisses in pain while looking down at the damage he’s done to his arm. This causes you to draw your attention from your paperwork and rush over to Clyde. He spouts off several profanities in his head when he sees the look of concern on your pretty face. He doesn’t want to make any more work for you then you already have.

“Oh my goodness Clyde! You’re bleeding! Come over here to bay one and I’ll get you fixed up real quick” You say as you guide him to the gurney while you have him hold pressure to the wound.  
He sits down and watches as you try and grab all the supplies you need to bandage his arm. He can’t help but think how adorable you are when he sees you bite your lip and curse under your breath when you can’t find something. 

“Okay, let’s see what’s going on underneath here” You say as you sit next to him on the gurney and remove the towel he was holding to his wound. He watches you with deep brown eyes as you work. Taking this opportunity to observe you without seeming too forward. 

“Oh, it’s just a skin tear! I can fix this up no problem” you smile happily knowing that no serious damage was done to his stump. “You let me know if I hurt you, okay?” you say while looking up at him as you don a pair of gloves. 

His begins to chew on the inside of his lip. He’s taken aback by you. Your eyes so big as you look up at him with concern. He can’t help but get ta thinkin’ about how sweet and innocent you look right now, but at the same time headstrong and confident in your capabilities. 

“I’ll let ya know, but I think you’ll patch me up jus’ fine darlin” He says boldly feeling a wave of his own confidence come over him. 

You blush at the nickname and begin to go to work. Cleansing the wound with saline before cutting adhesive sutures to the appropriate size. 

You get closer to him so that you can start closing his wound, and it’s then, that you pick up the faint smell of him. Soap and a masculine musk, something woodsy--earthy. You bite your lip and close your legs tightly together. His scent is intoxicating. You can feel his warm breath on your skin which reminds you of just how close you two are, and how he must be watching you intently as you work. Focus—just focus and breathe, you say to yourself as you try and think past his heady aroma and the feel of his hot skin under your hands. 

Clyde thinks he’s died and gone to heaven. Your touch is so gentle, but it feels like your sending shocks of electricity through him. He’s tryin’ hard not to imagine what it would feel like to have your mouth on his. If just an innocent touch feels like this? His head is swimmin’ as he’s thinkin’ of all the things he shouldn’t be. He closes his eyes while clenching his jaw and inhaling deep through his nose trying hard to focus. He’s gone too long without the touch of a woman he thinks, and he can’t let you see what kind of effect you’re havin’ on him. 

“There. I’m all done” you say while getting up to take your gloves off and wash your hands.

Clyde lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and when you turn around he looks pale. 

“Clyde, are you okay?” You ask with genuine concern “Was the blood too much?” You know that Clyde was a veteran and that blood can sometimes trigger those who were on the frontlines. 

“Yes Y/N, I’m okay jus’ a lil embarrassed I needed some savin’ today” Clyde says moving to stand, turning his stump over to check out your handy work “Not very often a lady such as yerself has to come to my rescue” he says with a slight chuckle and a gleam in his eyes that you could just drown in. 

“I’ll save you any time big guy, I’m your gal” you say playfully as you look up to meet his deep gaze. You notice he is not a man who shows a lot of emotion, but he takes his time to process his surroundings and think of what to say before he says it. 

Clyde is not sure what comes over him as he leans down, positioning himself so that only the two of you can hear what he says next “Don’t go teasin’ a man with promises like that sunshine” 

Shivers run down your spine as you let out the softest gasp. You’re speechless at this new boldness. 

Clyde straightens out and moves to pull the privacy curtain open as he speaks loud enough now that everyone in the small clinic can hear him. “Thanks again for patching me up Miss Y/N. I’ll find you tomorrow so you can look at it again.” He looks back at you and gives the slightest of smiles before walking off to begin his work day. 

Fuck! I’m so fucked! You think to yourself as you stand glued to the spot while you watch Clyde walk away. You’re not sure what just happened, but so much for trying not to get involved with people you work with. You sigh exasperatedly before closing your eyes and looking up in some kind of plea for the strength to stay away from that man. You’re not sure how much time Clyde has left at Monroe, but one thing you’re certain of is that no matter how innocent that man may seem, he’s trouble. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay you guys, next chapter is going to start off with some smut! I think Clyde got a little too worked up over that interaction. Hope you all are ready, because I am! Let me know what ya’ll thought of this chapter, and don’t forget you can find me on Tumblr @mind-p0llution.


	3. Chapter 3

Clyde still can’t believe he acted that way with you earlier. He’s never been that bold with a woman before, but somethin’ about you makes him act like a down right fool. He mulls over the events from earlier that day as he stares up at the ceiling of his cell. It’s cold tonight, he can feel the cool West Virginian air bring down the temperature of the cell block and the skin on his bare chest. Clyde isn’t cold though, he can’t get the image of you starin’ up at him earlier, eyes big and innocent while he whispered that filth in your ear. His body is on fire, blood boiling from the thought. 

_“Don’t go teasin’ a man with promises like that sunshine”_

He groans in frustration, closing his eyes tight while twisting his hand in his dark locks. He can’t help but dive further into his memories of that moment—He sees you, your mouth open slightly, your tongue reaching out to lick your lips as you try and process what he said. His hand trails down, down over his neck, to his chest before resting on his heart. It’s beating so fast, he feels like he doesn’t belong inside of his body anymore. His mind and hand betraying him, he doesn’t know who this man is, but he needs to fulfill this primal need that sits deep within his stomach. His balls aching, heavy, he needs release. 

Clyde can’t fight it anymore, his hand trails over the line of hair that leads from his belly button to his waistband. He grips himself, slowly stroking over the black and white garb, biting his bottom lip hard to hold back a groan. He feels himself slipping further into his fantasies. 

He thinks about your scent-- spicy but floral as he pushes his head back against his pillow, the veins in his neck straining, his nostrils flaring, he can smell you now. He wonders how you would smell--how you would taste with his head buried between your legs. 

Clyde frees his cock, it’s heavy and hot in his hands, the tip red and angry. It jumps in his hand as he spreads his precum from the tip down to the base. He slightly caress’s his sack before beginning to jerk himself slowly while imaginin’ the sounds you would make as he devours the sweet nectar you’d gift him. 

He’s breathing heavy now

You would run your hands through his hair, scraping your nails along his scalp, pulling the strands slightly as you push his head further into your heat. 

He’s griping his cock harder now, moving his hand faster. His breath coming out in short pants, his skin shinning with sweat. 

He would have near tears with how he’s been teasin’ you, edging you. It’s would be payback for how you tortured him earlier that day. Lookin’ so cute while you work, sayin’ that you’re his gal. His tongue running over your clit, bringing you so close to the edge as he moves his large fingers in and out of your tight center. 

“That’s it darlin’ you’re doing so good” He would say, sending vibrations over your sensitive bud as he pounds his fingers into you, your slick coating him.

He hears it in his head, he can taste you, smell you. 

He would finally let you find release. Your back arching as you make him lap up your orgasm. Smiling down at him, those fuckin’ eyes gleaming in your blissful state before bringing his lips up to yours in a passionate kiss. 

“Fuuuuuuuuuccckk” Clyde groans quietly, his chin touching his bare chest as he starts pumping himself even faster. The veins in his forearm and hand straining as he works his large cock, chasing his release. His eyebrows are drawn together as he thinks of how you would pull his fingers into your hot mouth, lapping up your juices, staring at him with your pupils blown wide. 

“Oh fuck, Y/N” he groans louder now, he’s so close. 

His head falls back hard against the pillow, eyes squeezing shut as his cock spurts hot seed over his chest. 

Clyde lays there breathing heavy as he uses the shirt he wore earlier to clean up his mess. Thinking how lucky he is to have a private cell with a door. His mind is mind is racin’, he is not sure how he’s going to be able to face you tomorrow after what he just did, known’ he’s going to have a hard time fightin’ off the images behind his fantasy. He can feel himself gettin’ hard again. He groans loudly before thinkin’ to himself that he ain’t gonna get any work done tomorrow with you ‘round him.

He can’t tell if he is happy or sad, that two days from now is his last at Monroe, he wonders if you think about him the same way he thinks of you. 

* * *

The rest of your day went smoothly after the event that happened with Clyde earlier, you tried you best to keep to yourself and help other inmates. You would occasionally catch him stealing glances at you which resulted in you blushing and trying to find something to keep yourself busy. You’re not sure how much longer you can keep this up, and you have mixed feelings about the whole situation. On one end, you hope that Clyde doesn’t have much more time at Monroe not just for your sanity, but because you truly feel he doesn’t belong there. On the other end of the spectrum, you want to spend as much time as possible with him, because you’re not sure when you would see him again outside of the prison.

You wonder if he has a woman waiting for him on the outside, you can’t imagine him being the type to make advances if he were in a relationship. You can’t help yourself when you feel the heaviness of jealously rising in the pit of your stomach, imagining him with another women. 

“You have no right to be jealous, you hardly even know the man!” you huff in frustration as you sink into the bubble bath you just drew. 

You hated days like this, days where you couldn’t wind down after a stressful day at work. Your mind replaying the interaction between you and Clyde earlier over and over again, before turning to something else. You begin to think of what brought you to West Virginia in the first place.

_You were fresh out of nursing school, bright eyed and bushy tailed, a few months into your first job at a large hospital. Things were going smoothly, you were starting to gain your confidence and getting to know the ropes of patient care. You got along with almost everyone and you didn’t seem to butt heads with too many physicians._

_One Dr in particular though, Dr. Perez, seemed to pay extra attention to you. He was the hospital heart-throb--good-looking, smart, and with a great bedside manner. He always took the extra time to find you and review changes to his plan of care, which is much more than you could say for the other physicians._

_You had been working at the hospital for about six months before he asked you out. You heard so many stories of Dr/nurse relationships going bad and you could never see yourself being a “Mrs. MD”, but he was nice, and you hadn’t gone on a date in a while, so you gave him a chance._

_The date itself went smoothly; he took you to a roof top tap house that was entirely too “bougie” for your tastes. You ordered a salad as it was the least expensive item on the menu while he ordered a steak that was worth an entire day’s work at the hospital for you. You could tell he was trying to impress you, but you were not fazed. You two made small talk, but the majority of the date centered on him talking about himself and all the great feats he had achieved during his time as a physician._

_The night winded down and you were not sure how much longer you could keep a fake smile plastered on your face as he spoke about himself, so you made up some excuse that you can’t remember now to end the date early._

_This is when the night went sour, and you made a decision that would ultimately lead to your career suicide back in Colorado._   
_He was walking you to your car, talking about how great of a night he had when you thanked him for the lovely meal before turning to say goodnight. It was this point that you suddenly felt him push you up against your car, holding your hands against your sides._

_You could feel his hot breath on your face as he spoke._

_“I know you want this; I could see the way you were looking at me all night.” He began to grind up against you while attempting to kiss down the column of your throat. “I know nurses like you, always walking around, acting so innocent while you flirt with the docs just so you can get what you want.”_

_Bile rose in your throat as you squirmed trying to get out of his grasp. You did the only thing you could think of—your knee shot up hitting him between the legs. He doubled over in pain as you quickly got in your car and locked the door behind you. You started up your engine before rolling down the window, just enough so you could give him a piece of your mind._

_“Hey asshole!” you spat with disgust as you stared at him still cradling his injured parts. “Next time you think you’re entitled to take what you want because your some hot shot doctor, just know that no one- and I mean no one- is asking for that, let alone from a scumbag like you! ” you taunted him, seeing his teeth pull back in a snarl made it seem like you were putting a dent in his entirely too large ego, so you continued “Oh, and as a fair warning I wont be taking this to the police for sexual assault, but you better believe HR will be hearing from me” you said with as much courage as you could muster before peeling out of the parking lot to escape. Looking back in your rearview mirror you could see him standing now, staring daggers into the back of your car._

_That same night you sent in a formal complaint for sexual harassment to HR only to hear back the next morning that your complaint had been rejected. HR was not concerned by the event as it had not occurred on hospital grounds. Your blood was boiling. You can’t believe he could get away with behavior like this, and you can guarantee this wasn’t the first time._

_After that, you started to notice the sideways glances from your colleagues, and hear the whispered rumors about how you were the nurse that “Slept around with all the Docs”. You were mortified. You moved units only for the same stories to follow you, and each time you would run into Dr. Perez, he would meet you with a smug look that said he was winning._

_You could see your work slipping, and you were losing sleep. You just couldn’t take it anymore, and that’s when you decided to uproot your life to get a fresh start. This is how you ended up across the country, hoping that your reputation as the “hospital whore” wouldn’t find you._

You closed your eyes tightly, swallowing the knot forming in the back of your throat while fighting back tears. This is why you have to stay away from Clyde you think to yourself as slowly inhale then exhale, fighting off the dark thoughts coming into your mind. You can’t let yourself get mixed up in situations like that again, as can only imagine what it would be like in this small town if everyone knew you as the “prison nurse who fucks the inmates”. 

* * *

You walked into the infirmary hoping for an uneventful day. You were exhausted, as you only managed to get a few hours of sleep the night before. You couldn’t manage to stop recalling your past, followed by images of Clyde, this man took up way too much of your thoughts. 

You were the only nurse in the clinic today, as it had been a slow week, and Donna was on a much-deserved vacation. You treated a few of your “frequent flyers” before an inmate you had never seen before was brought in with complaints of chest pain. 

Clyde helped him into an open bay while you looked over his medical history and prison background. His name was Emmett Parrish and he was incarcerated for assault with a deadly weapon in addition to battery and domestic violence. He was a heavily tattooed man that was muscular and short in stature. He appeared to be missing several of his teeth, and the ones that were still in his mouth were rotted most likely from drug use. Wowww, this guy was a winner you thought to yourself as you collected the EKG machine, wheeling it over to his bedside before pulling the privacy curtain shut. 

You introduced yourself and began to preform your assessment. You could feel his eyes on your chest as you leaned over to listen to his heart with your stethoscope. He didn’t appear to be in much pain now that the guards were gone, but you know you always have to listen to the patients reports.

“Okay Mr. Parrish, can you please describe your pain for me?” you asked taking a moment to pause your documentation to look up at him. 

“Yeah babydoll, I sure can. Ya see, it’s aching really bad and it’s riiiiight here” He said while slowly moving his hand down his chest just before grabbing his groin.

You roll your eyes while standing up to grab the EKG stickers to place on his chest, but not before attempting to redirect his behavior. “Now, Mr. Parrish that’s completely inappropriate, and if you continue to behave in such a manner, I’m going to have to bring the guards back in. Now if you could please pull your shirt up so I can place these leads on you to exam your heart more closely, I would appreciate it.” 

He scoffed, his lips forming in a tight line before obliging to your request. 

You move to start placing the stickers in the correct spots on his chest before you feel his hand grabbing your ass. Hard. 

You stop what you are doing immediately before attempting to get away from his grasp, but he grabs your wrist. 

“Get your hands off me immediately!” you say while attempting to pull your wrist out of his hold, but you begin to panic, your mind wandering back to your thoughts from the night before. 

“Clyde! I need help in here!” you yell, your voice tight, your breathing picking up, your vision getting foggy. 

The next thing you remember is the privacy curtain being near ripped off the tracks as Clyde rushes in with a look on his face that can only be described as murderous.He comes to stand over Emmett using his stature to intimidate, while pointing his finger close to his Emmett’s face as he speaks low and clear, his nostrils flaring, his eyes dark.

“You get yer fuckin’ hands off a’ her right now before I do it for you”, His dark hair falling in front of his face as he shakes with anger.

Emmett quickly lets of you, putting his hands up in front of his chest in a sign of surrender.

“Geez man, I was only messin’ with her’” 

Clyde pulls his finger away from Emmett’s face, straightening out before almost growling “Well she ain’t no plaything, and certainly not yers to touch” His teeth moving back in a snarl “ Now, you keep yer hands to yourself, ‘cause ain’t leavin’ until yer gone”. Clyde moves to the corner of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over chest before nodding to you as to give you the “go ahead”.

You pull your wrist up to your chest rubbing it, a slight ache where Emmett’s fingers were wrapped around you. You then look at Clyde and mouth a quick “thank you” before moving to complete the job you set out to do in the first place. 

Seeing Clyde like that did things to you. Even though you were still coming down from the adrenaline rush of being grabbed like that, you could feel slick begin to pool between your legs. He exuded pure masculine energy, like he would protect you no matter what. When you first met Clyde, you had a hard time imagining him de-escalating a situation with a rowdy inmate, but now you knew exactly what that looked like, and you had a hard time thinking about anything else. You could feel yourself getting hot and had to force your attention back to the task at hand. 

You completed Emmett’s EKG and grabbed a set of vital signs, which all came back normal. A little while later, Emmett claimed he no longer had chest pain and asked to go back to his cell block when he saw that he was not getting special treatment in the infirmary. You called the guards to come pick him up while finishing your documentation. 

You could hear Clyde walk up to the nurse’s station, not needing to look up to know it was him.

“You alright darlin’? He didn’t hurt you now did he?” you hear him say softly. You look up to see Clyde chewing on the inside of his lips, brows furrowed in concern before he turns his head to watch Emmett be escorted off by two guards. While the man sure didn’t say a whole lot, he managed to speak volumes with his mouth movements and those darn eyebrows. 

You smile sweetly up at him from your sitting position “Yes Clyde, thank you for saving me back there, I didn’t know what to do”

Clyde stares at you quietly, you could tell he was thinking of what to say next before he finally speaks softly, so quiet, you almost miss it 

“Anythin' for you Y/N”

Heat rises up to your face, you’re sure Clyde can see how much you must be blushing, but he nods curtly, just before turning around to grab a mop he must have tossed to the side when he heard you yell.

* * *

Only about thirty minutes had passed since Emmett had left the infirmary. Clyde seemed to be finishing up his mopping, and you were almost complete with your charting when you heard the most god-awful alarm sound from the speakers in the ceiling. 

“What the—?” you say slowly in wonder as you begin to make your way around the nurse’s station only to find Clyde unfazed by the situation. 

“Clyde, what the heck is that horrible sound?” You ask while covering your ears, looking to him for answers. 

“Oh, that doll? Sounds like they got themselves’ a code 14” he says nonchalantly, briefly looking up at you before returning to his task. 

You squint, going deep inside of your brain-- Code 14…..Code 14 you think to yourself trying to remember what your employee handbook said that stood for. You suddenly remember, code 14 means a riot, which means—You can’t finish that thought before you hear a loud slam followed by a click 

-Which means total lock down you finish. You look at Clyde’s broad shoulders, watching his muscles move under his shirt as he continues to work like nothing happened. This man wasn’t fazed by much. 

You have got to be kidding me you think to yourself. First the situation with Emmett, and now you’re unwillingly locked in a room, with a man that you’re trying to avoid like the plague. 

You huff, blowing a strand of hair out of your face before quickly moving to pick up the radio to give the guard tower your status, now remembering your training. 

“This is Y/N in the infirmary, we are all clear” you release the button before quickly adding “Any idea how long we will be in lock down?” You can hear Clyde’s deep chuckle across the room and look up at him while you wait for a reply from the guard tower.

“Sunshine, ain’t nobody gonna’ tell you because they don’t gotta clue themselves” He says while pushing the mop and bucket to the side before setting up the wet floor sign. 

He then makes his way over to the nurse’s station, pulling a small worn book out of the waistband of his pants before sitting down next to you. 

You look at Clyde incredulously, thinking how calm he’s being right now before reading the title of the book in his hands: 

_The Road by Cormac McCarthy_

One of your favorites you think, and it appears to be one of Clyde’s as well, unless he got it from the library. 

You break the silence. “Clyde I didn’t take you for much of a reader, that’s one of my favorite books you know.” You say with a small smile on your face looking at him curiously while waiting for an answer.

Clyde puts the book down, dogearing his page before turning to face you, his knees basically touching yours because of how long his legs are. 

“Well, like my momma always used ta say: You can’t judge a book by it’s cover” He gives a curt nod before continuing “It’s one a’ my favorite books too”.

You smile at him as you rest your check against your hand, listening to him talk before you add “Sounds like your momma is one smart woman Clyde Logan”.

You can see Clyde thinking about what to say next. He’s chewing on the inside of his lip, which seems to be a habit of his 

“well ya see, my momma got sick a while back right after my daddy passed. It was hard on all us Logan’s, as my brother Jimmy and I had to raise our little sister, Mellie, but you’re right, she was an awful smart woman who taught me to love books”. A ghost of a smile graces his lips while he looks down to his lap, seeming to be lost in his own thoughts before continuing “I remember readin’ to my little sister Mellie when we were just youngins, and books let me escape when I was deployed.” He leans back in his seat, running his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath in before blowing it back out “Readin’ has got me through a lot of dark times, well that, and my family”

You nod in understanding while you take a moment to look into his golden-brown eyes. “I’m so sorry to hear about your mother and father Clyde, that must have been difficult for all of you” you say while reaching your hand out to touch his. “You all must be so close having gone through something like that together. Not many people would have been able to manage rainsin’ a sibling like that.” You smile “You Logan’s sound like a tough bunch.”

Your nervous suddenly, Clyde is opening up to you in a way you didn’t expect, he’s usually so reserved. This interaction is making it difficult for you to push down the feelings that you have towards him. You can’t deny that your days have been filled with thoughts of him since you first laid eyes on this soft spoken, but assertive man. Your nights filled with fantasies of his strong body on top of yours, bringing each other endless pleasure before falling asleep in the others arms. 

You continue to try and push your feelings down, knowing that thoughts like these only bring trouble.

* * *

You’re so close to him, your hand resting on his. He can’t help himself when he wraps his fingers ‘round yours, looking into your eyes. 

“Thanks Y/N, that means a lot”

He’s surprised when you take a moment before removing your hand from his. He watches as you swallow a lump in your throat, looking at where your hands were just joined before turning your face upwards to look at him. He can’t help but think how beautiful you are now, lookin’ up at him with those sweet doe eyes a’ yours. He sees as your expression changes, your eyes beginning to fill with a look he doesn’t quite recognize before you smile sadly at him, returning to the paperwork you had abandoned earlier. 

Clyde can’t help the feelin’s that wash over him, this is the only time in his entire life he’s wanted more time behind bars. He’s beatin’ himself up knowing he may never get to see you again, and he doesn’t even know hardly anything about you. Every time he thinks you’re gonna share a piece of your life with him, he see’s you pull away. He’s not sure what’s keepin’ you from him, but what he does know is that he’s not ready to let you go. 

Clyde returns to his book with a small smile on his face. He knows exactly who’s fit to do some recon on the new girl in town, and it sure as hell ain’t Jimmy. There’s only one person who knows the ins- and outs- of Boone County gossip like nobody’s business--his beacon of hope, his baby sister, Mellie Logan.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter was A LOT! I have never written smut before, but let me tell you, I got myself worked up writing that LOL. As always, I love to hear your thoughts and I love connecting with ya'll on Tumblr. You can find me @mind_p0llution. Much love, Kate :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay ya'll I wrote this chapter with multiple points of view, and I am hoping I did this in a way that was not confusing. Please let me know if it was a difficult read. I always appreciate feedback :). Enjoy!

Today is the day Clyde thinks happily to himself, a smile gracing his lips as he stretches his arms out above his head. He’s been thinkin’ about this day for the past eighty-nine, and it’s almost surreal that it’s finally here he thinks to himself as he slides his soft prison issued shoes onto his large feet. 

He spoke with Mellie yesterday about pickin’ him up after you and him were released from the lock down in the infirmary. Jimmy had offered to pick him up some time ago, and he was excited to see his big brother--really, but Mellie was the person he needed right now. Plus, he done enough followin’ of Jimmy’s plans, always endin’ up with him in some kinda’ trouble, so now it was his turn to come up with a plan a’ his own. 

While he was locked up with you yesterday, he didn’t mention to you that he was gettin’ out today. He could still picture you now, so tense, only allowing brief moments to let down your guard. It’s really confusin’ to a man Clyde thinks, picking up his tooth brush as he continues to think about your time together. 

Clyde knows how he feels about you, if you felt the same way, and were just bein’ shy on account a’ you being a serious healthcare professional and all. Heck, Clyde doesn’t even know if you already have a’ man of your own and that’s why you’re so distant with him. 

He felt like he could cut the air with a knife yesterday, as It sat in heavy waves between the two of you. Frustrated, Clyde sits back down on his bunk in a huff, hunched over, his stump resting on his knee while the other hand covers his face. All this is so confusin’, and he’s runnin’ himself in circles, gettin’ himself all worked up thinkin’ about you. 

He's dated a few girls here and there before his deployment, nothin’ serious like he knew his mama woulda’ liked, but datin’ has never been high on his priorities. After he got back from Iraq, he was so focused on gettin’ used to his prosthetic and getting the bar ready that he didn’t have much time, nor interest in datin’. In fact, most a’ the women he did take out pursued him. He’d take em’ out a time or two before they’d lose interest and move on, and maybe that’s because he really wasn’t interested himself either. 

Clyde’s never felt the need to chase after someone, that’s until he met you. He has this primal urge that sits within him, it pulls him to you, and he’s going to try his darndest to make you see that you belong with him. He raises his eyebrows while shaking his head in disbelief “Make her yours?” he says quietly to himself “Clyde, you’re acting like l a rabid dog lookin’ fer a steak dinner.” He says with a deep scowl, eyebrows darn together as he begins to pack up the rest of his belongings in his cell. 

* * *

Mellie Logan was not sure what she was going to see when she picked her brother up from Monroe, he was actin’ awful strange yesterday on the phone talkin’ about some kinda’ plan a’ his. She sure is over all of these plans her big brothers keep involvin’ her in, but that’s what family is for—right? Helpin’ each other out in times of need? She just hopes this doesn’t involve breaking any laws, even though she thinks that parts a lil’ fun, but she’d never tell either of her big brothers that she thinks to herself as she holds back a grin.

She pulls up outside of the prison in her prized Chevy Nova, putting it into park before examining her long acrylic nails, popping her gum a few times thinking that her and Sylvia need to have a girls day at the salon. She’s pulled from her thoughts as she looks up to her rearview mirror, seeing her big brother lumbering along, same pout as always, carrying his belongings. 

“Hiya Clyde!” she says as she watches him fold his frame in half to get into her car safely without bumping his head. She helps take his box of belongings, moving it into the back of her car before grabbing Clyde’s fancy new prosthetic, wrapped in tinfoil with a bow on top--courtesy of their older brother, Jimmy. 

“Here, I have a surprise for you” Mellie says excitedly while giving Clyde his wrapped gift. She knows her brother doesn’t mind his old prosthetic, but she aslso knows it’s not as functional as he’d like it to be.

“Let me guess- our dear brother can be thanked fer this wrappin’ job?” Clyde says dryly before tearing into the obviously arm shaped gift thinking it was going to be his trusty ol’ prosthetic underneath.

Mellie squeals in delight, clapping her hands together when she sees Clyde’s reaction-His eyes going wide as he turns over the shiny new prosthetic in his hands “Whatcha’ think?” she asks excitedly. 

“Mel, I don’t know what ta say” Clyde says placing it over his stump, biting the inside of his cheek, his long hair covering his face as he looks down at his new prosthetic “How’d you n’ Jimmy manage this without me being there for a fittin’?” Clyde asks, finally looking up at his sister. 

“You big silly man!” Mellie says, pulling the Nova away from Monroe hopefully for the last time. “We used your old prosthetic as a mold! But that ain’t even the best part!” she says before blowing a bubble with her gum and quickly popping it. “We gotta get you to the VA first so we can get it set up right, but the fingers move just like real ones! You can finally use both hands again Clyde!” 

Clyde’s eyebrows raise in disbelief, he can’t believe his siblings went through all this trouble to surprise him with somethin’ like this. 

“And guess who just so happened to get you an appointment today?” Mellie says grinning from ear to ear. 

“Thanks Mel” Clyde says softly not sure if he wants to ask more of his sister after something so big like this, but she manages to bring up the topic on his mind before he can dwell on it any further. 

“Now why don’t you tell me about this plan a’ yours, and I swear on paw paws diamond, if this is another stunt that’s bound to get us Logan’s in trouble I’m gonna’ be mad” She says pursing her glossy lips together to get her point across “Now go on, get it out, we ain’t got all day” She says watching Clyde out of the corner of her eye look stoically back at her. 

Mellie listens patiently as her brother repeats what’s happened the past week in the infirmary between him and this mystery woman, her face turning quickly from confusion to excitement. 

She can’t believe what she’s hearin’. Is Clyde telling her he has a crush she thinks, mouth slightly agape as she stares at the road in front of her. 

“Clyde Logan! Are you tellin’ me that there is a woman who has finally made her way into that marshmallow stuffed center a’ yours?” Mellie says with a huge grin on her face “Now this is somethin’ I can get behind!” she says while squealing in delight, bouncing happily in her seat as she continues to drive.

Clyde looks out the window trying to hide the blush on his face which he knows his sister already saw.

“Thing is Mel, I don’t know much about her and that’s why I need your help” Clyde says softly still peering out the window. 

Mellie perks up in her seat as she pulls into a parking spot at the VA “Well turns out your just in luck big brother, because I know just how to get in touch with this mystery girl a’ yours.” She pauses to turn in her seat to look at Clyde who is now looking back with a heavy gaze, his interest piqued. 

“Sylvia has been workin’ with a new nurse on the rig who also happens to work at Monroe, and this new nurse also said she happens to know you!” Mellie wags her eyebrows in a teasing fashion as Clyde cracks the smallest of a smile, his eyes glowing bright with eagerness. 

“Now listen, here’s the plan” Mellie says looking at Clyde seriously before continuing to hash out the details. His own plan completely forgotten at this point by his little sister. 

* * *

It had been a few day’s since you had seen Clyde in the infirmary, but only on account that you’ve picked up extra at the mobile clinic with Sylvia. You were actually happy to have some time away from him as you try and push down your feelings. What a mess you think to yourself as you make your way up the steps of the old RV, only to find Sylvia drinking coffee at the table with a woman you didn’t recognize. Maybe a patient? 

The woman was wearing a bright pink fishnet shirt with daisy dukes and the coolest pair of cowgirl boots you’ve ever seen. You liked her energy already. 

“Y/N!” Sylvia greets you with a lot more enthusiasm then usual. You squint your eyes at her in suspicion, wondering what’s in her coffee this morning, or that maybe she has some dirty work lined up for you later in the day, either way, you’re not buying this reaction. 

“Hey Sylvia” you greet cautiously, still unsure of her intentions before you continue. “Who’s this lovely lady you’re talking to? Already picked up a patient?” 

“Oh no, sorry, this is my friend Mel” Sylvia says with a smile as the young woman in question turns around to look at you “Mel, this is Y/N, the new nurse I told you about.” 

You smile and extend your hand to greet her “Hi there! It’s so nice to meet you!” you say happily as you shake her hand, thrilled to be meeting more people your own age around town. You could always use some more gal pals. 

“I love your style by the way. Those cowgirl boots are just to die for.” 

Mellie smiles at you as she takes you in, understanding why Clyde seems so smitten by you. You seem incredibly sweet and just as pretty as he described she thinks to herself before replying “Well after everything Sylvia has told me about you, I already feel like we’re best friends. You should come down to the salon and I can give you a blow-out or whatever, while we get to know each other.” Mellie says while looking between you and Sylvia. “Any friend of Sylvia’s is a friend a’ mine. What do ya say?” Mellie says with a broad smile as she initiate’s the first step of her plan. 

“No way? I would love that!” You say trying to hide your excitement.

“Oooo” Mellie says bouncing on the soles of her feet “I love a gals day! you should come by tomorrow with Sylvia since you two close up shop early on Friday’s.”

“We’ll be there Mel!” Sylvia says quickly answering for the both of you before you even have a chance to reply, a small smirk on her face that you didn’t fail to notice. 

You both say goodbye to Mel as you wonder again what Sylvia is up to, quickly brushing off the thought so you can set up to see your first patient. 

* * *

You and Sylvia had just finished up with your last patient of the week and were now pulling up in your Bronco to Mel’s salon “Hair we R”. You were both in need of some good “girl talk” as you had several difficult cases and needed to decompress. You were so excited that you seemed to be making friends so quickly in Madison. 

“Hey girls! Come on in! I just opened a bottle of wine cause’ it’s six o’clock and the salon is officially closed, it’s just us” Mellie says as she hands each of you a glass of wine, before turning her salon chair around for you to sit.

“Now Y/N, you just sit down and relax and I’ll fix your hair up real nice.”

You follow Mellie’s lead and you all begin to talk about nothing in particular, laughing as you get to know one another while she works on your hair, the wine bottle slowly becoming emptier as time passes. You all are having so much fun and before you know it the sun is already down and Mellie is finished with your hair. 

“Oh my goodness Mel, he sounds like a real piece of work, I can’t believe he tried to hit on you by saying your name rhymes with smelly” You laugh hard while gripping your stomach, the others following suit, feeling the effects of the wine finally take it’s toll on all of you. 

“So Y/N, what about you? Did anyone special come to Madison with you? A love interest perhaps?” Mellie asks while looking at you in the mirror. You don’t miss it when she quickly glances at Sylvia who happens to choose that exact moment to take a fairly large sip of wine. 

“No, no love interest currently, but that’s not to say I’m opposed” you say with a smile, turning around in the salon chair as Mellie moves to sit down next to Sylvia before you continue “Why, do you have someone in mind for me? Don’t tell me it’s one of Joe’s brothers. I don’t think my heart could handle if you tried to set me up with one of them” you say before you all burst out in laughter again, reaching to the point of tears. 

“Come on! Fish and Sam aren’t that bad!” Mellie says wiping the moisture from her eyes before glancing over at Sylvia. “It’s actually my older brother, he’s real sweet, real handsome” Mellie wags her eyebrows at you “a true gentleman. Right Sylvia?” Mellie looks over to her friend for back up. 

“She’s right he’s real handsome and jus’ the sweetest man. I think you should give him a shot.” Sylvia says as she nods confidently. 

You look between both of your new friends apprehensively before taking a big sip of wine “Fine! I’ll give him a shot” you say looking down as you blush deeply, unsure of what you just agreed to. You were single after all, and you needed to get your mind off Clyde before you resolve completely shatters. Going on a blind date couldn’t hurt. Could it? 

* * *

You look at your reflection one last time in the visor mirror or your truck, not sure why you’re so nervous. It’s only a blind date after all, those almost never turn out well in your experience. You decided on something simple-light makeup, hair down, and a light dress, feeling the West Virginian air hot and heavy around you. Your blind date, who you later found out was named Logan (per Mel), texted you the details on where to meet him and that you would be joining him for a picnic. 

You managed to find the small park where Logan said he would meet you, running a little early as always. You are not sure what Logan looked like, so you sent him a quick text to let him know you were at the park. 

_Hi, I just pulled up. Are you here?_

You watched as three little dots showed up on your screen to indicate he was already typing back.

_I’m already here. I have everything set up underneath the big elm off to the right of the parking lot. You can’t miss it._

You get out of the Bronco, straightening out your dress, and brushing down your hair as you blow out a a breath you were holding in.

“You’ve got this Y/N, it’s just a little date, no big deal.” You say quietly as you start to head in the direction Logan described, looking for the big elm tree, and that’s when you see a man facing away from you, underneath a large tree and sitting on a blanket with a cooler off to his side. 

You can feel your face grow hot as you slowly approach him, your heart now hammering in your chest, you’re hands clammy at your sides. You can’t believe how nervous you are, it’s just been so long since you’ve been on a date. It feels like you’re in high-school again, going on your first date, with your first crush. 

“Logan?” You say softly, trying not to scare him.

Your life suddenly appeared to slow down just then as you watched your blind date stand up and turn around to face you, your eyes widening in shock as the man standing in front of you was none other than Clyde Logan. 

* * *

Clyde turns around to face you, his heart feeling like it’s going to burst from his chest, he watches your reaction turn from soft to pure shock when you register that he is not this mystery man that Mellie promised you. He starts to feel bad, like this wasn’t the best idea. 

“Clyde?!” you say in complete shock, beginning to shake with anger. You have so many questions and you better believe he was going to give you the answers. “Clyde- “you start, trying to pick your words wisely before you continue, your voice hushed but stern “I didn’t even know you were out of Monroe. Did you know that I was the person you were meeting?” 

Clyde stands there his arms at his side, lookin’ at you like a deer in the headlights. He’s sweatin’ now, he knew he shouldn’t a’ went with Mellie’s plan! Stupid Logan family curse! He begins to think of ways to diffuse the situation as he’s lookin’ at you, hands on your hips, eyebrows drawn together. 

He purses his lips together and begins to chew on the inside of his cheek before he speaks, looking down briefly before raising his gaze to your fiery one.

“Y/N, I did know I was meetin’ you here, and I’m sorry if you feel like you’ve been tricked, that wasn’t my intention.” Clyde swallows the lump that’s formed in his throat, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “My sister Mellie came up with this plan after I told her about meetin’ you at Monroe, how I couldn’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout you” He pauses, taking a deep breath in as steps towards you before continuing. “Even though we haven’t known each other long, you should know by now that I’m not one fer words, but I’m going try my best to use ‘em now.” 

Clyde looks down at his boots before blowing a big breath of air out from between pursed lips “I felt something for you the second I saw you, something that honestly confuses the hell outta’ me, but I think you felt that too. Now, If I’m wrong you can walk away right here, right now and forget this ever happened, but don’t be mad at Mellie or Sylvia for helpin’ me with this. They really didn’t mean nothin’ by it” He takes another step forward, holding his prosthetic out to you, speaking so softly now “But if I’m right, I’m askin’ fer you to give me a chance and enjoy this date with me?” his last word so soft you almost miss it “Please?”

You look at his outstretched hand before looking up at his pleading honey brown eyes, and that’s when it happened—everything you were trying to fight came forward. Your feelings for Clyde overpowering, your willpower completely dissolved, you were no longer able to fight off or deny the feelings that you have for this man. He looks so vulnerable now, standing there, pleading for you to give him just one chance. 

You sigh loudly before grabbing his outstretched metallic hand. “Fine, I am giving you this one chance, but you have a lot of making up to do Clyde Logan, because I am still pissed.” 

The smile that graces his face is like a punch to the gut. In the short amount of time you have known Clyde you have never seen him truly smile--not once, It’s breath taking, and knowing that you made that happen? It was enough to make your knees weak. 

You’re fighting hard not to smile back, because you’re supposed to be mad. You turn your head away biting your lower lip, trying to hold onto your upset expression, but failing miserably as a smile breaks through. 

Clyde still has the huge smile on his face as he guides you to your spot on the blanket, before sitting down himself. He hands you a glass before pouring a dark liquid that appears to be iced tea into it, he then fills a cup up for himself. 

“Thank you” You say before taking a sip “This is delicious Clyde.” 

He chuckles deep within his chest, “It’s a Logan family recipe, you can thank Aunt Maggie for this one.” He says, eyes bright, you can tell how happy he is to be sitting here with you. You’re not sure you’ve ever seen Clyde quite like this. 

“Of course it is” you say, laughing lightly before continuing “You Logan’s are just full of surprises it seems ” you say, taking another sip of the sweet tea. 

You take a moment to observe Clyde and the picnic that he has set up for you two. He looks even more handsome than usual, wearing a grey button- down shirt paired with black levis that hug his lower half just right, and on his feet, he is wearing a pair of well-worn cowboy boots. You look up to see a high-tech prosthetic gracing the lower half of his left arm. His hair is so shiny and soft looking, it frames his face in gentle waves, and you can’t help but feel the pull to run your hands through it. 

You look around on the blanket in front of you and you take a moment to appreciate the amount of effort that Clyde put into this date. He has an empty whiskey bottle holding a bouquet of wildflowers that rest on a cutting board in the middle of the blanket. Scattered around on the cutting board are crackers and cheese slices and you spot two sandwiches, which appear to be loaded with bacon-- a lot of bacon.

You smile appreciatively “This is beautiful Clyde, thank you.”

You look back over to Clyde who is watching you take in his handy work. Gaze deep, before he looks away, his face red as he clears his throat. 

“So, should we try and make the best a’ this date and get to know each other?” he says a small smile gracing his lips before it quickly disappears. 

Clyde is still in disbelief that you said yes to this date, still shocked that you’re sitting in front of him, lookin’ at him like that. God, he loves it when you look at him that way, like you’re just as curious about him as he is about you. He’s never seen you in anything but your prison uniform, but he’s takin’ you in now. 

Your hair down, shining in the sunlight that peaks through the leaves of the elm tree. Your womanly curves just barely peaking though the summer dress that you chose to wear for this occasion. Your skin lookin’ as soft as ever, and it’s takin’ all a’ his resolve not to reach out and touch you. He wants to touch you so bad. 

“Yeah, I’d like that” you say before looking down at your hands in your lap, a blush coming over your face. 

* * *

Time always seems to slow down when the two of you are together Clyde has noticed, and he doesn’t mind in the slightest. You two have been talking and laughing while getting to know one another. He’s told you about the family curse and Duck Tape which you listened to without interrupting, unlike his brother, Jimmy, who always does. You’ve told him about your family and where you grew up, and he watched as you unashamedly put away the entire BLT that he made you with extra burnt bacon just the way he likes it. He loves that you aren’t tryin’ to be something you’re not around him. 

“So outta’ all of the places you could a’ ended up, why did you choose Boone County?” Clyde asks curious for your answer.

You were waiting for the question to come up and you had already thought of the reply that you would give him, the truth, but without giving away too many details. Hearing the question, regardless of how prepared you were for it, still causes a heavy feeling of anxiety to rest in the pit of your stomach. 

“There was a lot going on back home, and I needed a change of scenery. I looked up nursing jobs around the US, and the jobs at Monroe and the Clinic piqued my interest, so I just went for it.” You say looking up at him to gauge his reaction. 

Clyde can see the way that your energy changes as you answer the question. He can tell that there is something you’re not quite ready to share with him, and that’s okay. He can wait for as long as he needs to. This is one trait that Clyde got from his daddy that his siblings didn’t seem to-- patience. He knows to change the subject, and so he does.

“Well that certainly takes a lot of courage from a lil’ lady such as yerself, but I knew the second I laid eyes on you that you were force to be reckoned with” Clyde chuckles deep within his chest, eyes shining bright as he thinks back “In fact, I ain’t so sure you needed my help with that Emmett character back in the clinic, I think you jus’ wanted some savin’ for once.”

You roll your eyes before laughing and reaching out to playfully smack his titanium arm, knowing that it wouldn’t hurt him.“You caught me Clyde Logan, I just wanted to see those big muscles in action” You say quickly without thinking. You’re eyes go wide with the realization of what you just said before you face turns a deep shade of crimson. 

Oh my god- you dumbass! way too forward for a first date with a gentleman you think to yourself before Clyde interrupts your thought process. 

“Well sunshine, you coulda’ jus’ asked fer a show if ya wanted it, you didn’t have to go on gettin’ yerself into no trouble.” Clyde teases with an air of confidence that you loved seeing from him. The response makes you blush even deeper and you can feel slick begin to form between your legs, making you bite your lip. 

Your response makes Clyde laugh even more. You loved hearing the deep sound rumble in his chest, especially knowing that you were the one to cause it. 

The sun was beginning to set and the summer air was cooling around you, and even though you both could keep talking, you both knew that your date was coming to an end. You had work tomorrow and Clyde was working the bar tonight. 

“Doll, you wanna’ help me pack this stuff up and I’ll walk you to yer truck?” Clyde asks as he pulls the flowers from the whiskey bottle, before handing them to you.

It is now that you realize they are tied together with a piece of twine, probably easier for Clyde to grip with his prosthetic you think to yourself. You accept the flowers whispering a quick “thank you” before helping Clyde pack up the rest.

* * *

  
  
You two are walking back to your Bronco slowly in a comfortable silence, trying to make your date last as long as possible. 

Suddenly you feel Clyde reach for your hand, entwining his large fingers in yours. His hand is clammy, but so is yours, and you can’t help but feel the heat rising to your face. You turn your gaze to look up at him, seeing him looking back down at you with small smile gracing his lips. 

Clyde’s heart is pounding in his chest, he knows what he wants to do, but he don’t want to push you too far too fast. He’s tryin’ to gauge your body language as you two walk back to your truck. He feels that same energy buzzing beneath his fingertips as his large hand holds your smaller one, fittin’ together so perfectly that you two seem to be made for one another.

He’s on cloud nine right now. He’s still in complete disbelief that you stayed and opened up to him, and that now he’s holdin’ on to you so sweet like. 

You both make it to the Bronco and Clyde is beginning to get real nervous now, he’s not ready to say goodbye, but he knows he has to. 

“Alright darlin’ I’m gonna’ try and use some more a’ my words now, so bear with me” he says chewing on the inside of his cheek, the way he does when he’s thinkin’ real hard about something before taking both of your hands in his own. 

You watch him patiently as he tries to formulate his feelings into words, you think it’s so cute how he’s holding onto both your hands so formally, like he’s about to make some grand gesture. You could tell he was really struggling to find what to say or how to say it, so you decided to help him out. 

“Clyde, would you go out with me again?” You say looking up at him sweetly from behind your lashes, waiting for him to relax from the amount of pressure he seems to be putting on himself. 

You watch as his expression changes, his eyebrows relaxing as one side of his mouth curls up in a smile before the other side follows suit. He’s giving you one of those contagious smiles that rarely grace his stoic features, and you’re suddenly pulled into the warmest bear hug you have ever felt in your entire life. 

Your face is buried in his chest as you take in his heady aroma, you can hear is heart beating like a jackhammer in what you hope is excitement and not nervousness. 

You suddenly feel his nose nuzzle into the crook of your neck has he inhales, his goatee brushing lightly against your skin. You can feel shivers run down your spine and you’re hoping he can’t feel the affect that he has on you. 

He’s holding onto you like you’re something precious, like he’s afraid if he lets you go he’ll never see you again, but he eventually pulls away, only to quickly tangle one of his hands into your hair, brining your lips to his in a soft, but passionate kiss.

You can’t help but let a small, heady moan escape from your throat as you return his kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck, feeling as his prosthetic as it reaches around to the small of your back, the cool metal a stark contrast to the hot air surrounding you. 

You feel him begin to run his tongue across your lips begging for entrance, and right as you were about to open your mouth to comply, he suddenly pulls away, resting his forehead against yours, his nostrils flaring as he tries to steady his breathing. 

You laugh lightly before pulling him back in for a hug, your chin resting on his chest as you look up at him with a teasing smile 

“You know, Clyde, you could have just said yes. You didn’t have to go on getting’ yerself into no trouble like that” you say trying your best to mimic his accent playfully.

He smiles broadly again before pulling your face into his chest, resting his chin on the top of your head, sighing in content before saying “Gettin’ into trouble with you is a lot more fun sunshine.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is the only time that I need to make an announcement on one of my chapters, because I really don’t feel like giving a lecture on the capabilities of modern prosthetic devices. PEOPLE WITH PROSTHETIC LIMBS CAN DO JUST AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE. If you don’t believe me (which you should) look up the total hunk of a man Paul De Gelder anywhere on the internet- you’re welcome ;).

It had been about a week since you and Clyde had your date, and since then you two had been keeping in touch. You quickly found out that he was not much of a “texter” or “caller”, but he was certainly putting in his best effort for you since your schedules were different.

Every once in a while, he would send a text to check up on you-see how your day was going and make sure none of the inmates were making any more moves on you. You couldn’t help but think how adorable he was with this seemingly overwhelming need to protect; you suppose this goes back to what he was talking about when he said he felt something for you the first time he met you.

You blush as your thoughts quickly turn to the kiss you and Clyde shared. _Sweet mother of god that man can kiss, I wonder what else he’s good at_ you think to yourself dreamily, biting your lower lip as your mind wanders to what other talents Clyde might have-both in and out of bed.

You were currently sitting in the empty infirmary as you had already seen your scheduled cases for the day, leaving you entirely too much time for thoughts like those.

You were quickly pulled from your fantasies when you felt your phone vibrate in the pocket of your scrub pants. You were honestly not expecting to hear from him considering he works at Duck Tape in the evenings, so he sleeps in pretty late. You were pleasantly surprised when you see his name light up on your screen.

_**Clyde:** _ _Come to Duck Tape tonight?_

You can’t help but think how far gone you are as a simple text from him makes you grin from ear to ear. _I knew it, I knew I was fucked_ you think to yourself as you come up with some witty remark.You decide to tease the serious man you’ve grown so fond of.

**You:** _I wont be too much of a distraction for you at work?_

You smile even wider when you see the little dots appear on your screen showing he’s typing back already. You watch them stop, then disappear, before coming back again. You think you might have broken Clyde.

_**Clyde:** _ _You have been a distraction since day 1 sunshine_

**_…_ **

_**Clyde:** _ _Don’t make a grown man beg. Come to the bar?_

_**Clyde:** _ _Please?_

You chuckle to yourself, your cheeks growing hot as you can just picture Clyde with the ever-constant pout on his face as he’s trying to find the right words to say. You know he’s probably biting the inside of his lip like he always does when he’s thinking really hard.

You quickly reply back putting the poor man out of his misery

_**You:** _ _Of course I’ll come see you at the bar. What time?_

And just like that you’re smiling like a huge idiot. One date with this man is all it took to have you like this. Clyde was right when he said you felt something for him too- _obviously._

* * *

You weren’t sure if this is considered a second date or not, so you took your time to dress up a little. You got off work a few hours earlier then when Clyde told you to meet him at the bar, so you took your time in the shower and dug through some boxes you had yet to unpack for an outfit. You already forgave Mellie and Sylvia for knowingly setting you up with Clyde (how could you not, it was the best date of your life) and you all went shopping to find you a pair of cowgirl boots since you love Mellie’s so much.

You ultimately decide on wearing a cute little romper to go with your boots, light makeup, and just a quick brush through your hair since it ends up getting messed up in your truck anyways. You take one last look at your appearance in the mirror of your cozy bathroom, your nerves high with anticipation of what’s to come from this evening before heading out.

The drive to Duck Tape seemed to take forever, you took the time to overanalyze the situation. While you truly liked Clyde, you still questioned your decision to continue to pursue whatever this was going on between you. It’s not a matter of _what if_ someone at the jail finds out you’re seeing him, it’s _when_.

As you pull into the dirt lot outside of the bar, you immediately see Clyde standing outside. He’s resting his arms against the railing of the small porch of his bar as he looks off into the night, waiting for you. He’s wearing what you determine is his “usual” outfit a button up shirt, Levi’s and his boots. _He still looks as handsome as ever_ you think to yourself as you place the Bronco in park.

He see’s you pull in, a small smile gracing his lips as he quickly stands up and walks to meet you at your truck. Being the gentleman he is, he holds your car door open for you as you collect your purse and get out.

It’s like no time had passed between your last date and now, as Clyde pulls you in for one of those amazing bear hugs of his.

Your laugh is muffled by his big chest as he holds you close. You take a moment to enjoy the feeling of his large arms around you, his strong biceps holding you in.

“ ‘m sorry sunshine” He says as he releases you, now somewhat self-conscious as he rubs the back of his neck roughly. He’s looking down at his boots a blush creeping up his face as he whispers “jus’ missed ya is all.”

You reach to pull the hand away from his behind his neck, he was going to rub his skin raw at the pace he was going, so you hold it in your own to keep it busy.

“I missed you too Clyde.”

You watch as his eyes light up with the realization that you might have it just as bad as he does.

“Well come on then, everyone’s waitin’ ta see you” He says as he puts his large hand on the small of your back guiding you across the dimly lit parking lot towards his bar.

_Everyone?_ you quickly think to yourself before following Clyde’s lead, leaving you no time to dwell on what he meant.

* * *

“Eeeeeek” You hear Mellie squeal out followed by the quick tap of her boots across the bar floor as she envelops you in a hug, her soft floral smelling curls falling around your face _these Logan’s and their hugs._

You laugh as you return her hug before quickly pulling away, holding her at arms-length to look at her outfit “Hi Mel! A stunner as always”

You smile before your eyes light up with excitement “OO! Look what I’m wearing tonight?” you flick out one of your vintage cowgirl boots out for her to admire, beaming with pride.

“Would you look at that Clyde, you managed to catch yourself a real wild one didn’t cha?” Mellie teases her older brother who already returned to working the bar, his only reply a small grunt as he wipes down glasses.

“Well okay ya crab apple! I’m gonna’ take this nice lady over to meet my less crabby brother- ohhh Jiiimmmyyyy” she says in a sing song voice as she guides you to Jimmy and Sylvia, introducing you to Joe and his brothers along the way.

Clyde watches you take the introductions like a champ. He knew you could already handle Mel, so he had a feelin’ you could handle Jimmy too. Only one missin’ was little miss Sadie, but she only comes in the bar when it’s closed, and tonight it’s in full swing.

He loves watching you smile and laugh as you get to know his family better, he can already tell that you fit right in. He didn’t miss it when jimmy took a moment to glance his way, eyebrows goin’ up real high with a look of surprise.

Clyde’s shocked himself that he’s managed to keep you ‘round for as long as he has. You even stuck ‘round after he ‘bout mauled ya like a damn grizzly in the parkin’ lot. He’s given up on trying to make sense a’ all these feelins’ he’s been havin’, so he’s jus’ doin’ what feels right, and holdin’ on ta you like that? Ain’t nothin’ felt more right in that moment for Clyde.

He checks on all the patrons to make sure they are settled before coming around the bar, settling in behind you, his prosthetic resting on your shoulder. You look up at him with a smile before returning your attention to the story Jimmy was telling.

“- so much fer bein’ a lookout! I’ll tell you what, the look on my little brothers face when he got us caught? Priceless.” Jimmy grins at you before continuing “I have a feelin’ he was more afraid of the whoopin’ he’d get from me then the actual sentence we done got” 

Clyde groans as his cheeks turn pink “Jimmy, now why you gotta’ go tellin’ her _that_ story?”

Jimmy lets out a laugh before grabbing his beer off the counter, taking a quick swig before continuing “ ‘cause my dear brother, she told me ‘bout how you two met, and I jus’ had to tell her about your previous run ins with the law.”

Clyde gently squeezes your shoulder “Well she didn’t need ta hear all that” he say’s, a little sass in his voice.

“Well Clyde, I reckon if you and Mel didn’t scare her off with that silly plan a’ yours, that little story wouldn’t either” Jimmy says, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he looks over to Mellie who’s now perked up at hearing her name.

Clyde groans again his lips in a full pout as he nervously chews on the inside of his plump lower lip. He turns around to look at his sister Mellie before harshly whispering “Mel, you told him about the plan?”

Mellie responds by holding her hands up in defeat before laughing out her reply “Sorry big brother, I couldn’t help it when I found out some lucky lady found her way into that big heart a’ yours” She swivels in her bar stool, moving to the jukebox to select an upbeat country song “Plus you know you can’t formulate a Logan plan without including _every_ Logan!” she grins big as she breaks out into a little country two step.

You turn in your bar stool to look up at Clyde, the tips of his ears are peeking out from underneath his long dark hair and are now red from embarrassment, and his signature scowl on full display. You place your hands on the center of his chest while looking up at him. You were trying very hard to be serious, but it’s hard when his scowl is so deep set, it’s adorable.

“Come on big bear, make this lady a drink?” you say a small smile playing at your lips.

Clyde blinks in surprise at the nickname, his ear tips now growing impossibly red. “big bear huh?” a hint of a smile flashes as he looks down at you, moving to place his hands over yours that stay rested on his broad chest, giving them a quick squeeze.

You grin mischievously now “yep, what are you gonna’ do about it?”

He chuckles deep within his chest, and you can the vibrations underneath the palms of your hands as he replies “Not a damn thing honey. Now whatcha’ want ta drink?”

* * *

Clyde and you conversed easily over some “fancy” cocktails he whipped up, showing off his bar-tending skills. You loved how confident he was behind the bar, and you’re starting to realize that he is a lot more confident then people give him credit for. Quietness does not equate to insecurity for Clyde, that he’s just particular with when he chooses to talk and to what about.

You loved watching him converse with some of the regulars, knowing their drinks without them having to ask. You could tell how much pride he took in his bar, and he truly was a great bartender. He would take time between serving customers to come talk with you about your day.

As the night slowed down, and there were only a few regulars left at the bar, Clyde took a seat beside you and shared some more stories of his time overseas and how he and jimmy raised Mellie. He would ask you questions about your family, schooling and the Bronco. It appears that once you got Clyde going, he was quite the conversationalist, just don’t ask him to replicate it over the phone.

“-well you’ll have to come by the trailer sometime and I’ll let you take home some a’ my books. I’d loved ta show you some a’ my favorites.” You smiled at him, his hand gently resting on your knee while the other held onto a beer. You’ve been going crazy all night with every little touch he gave you, each sending shivers down your spine. _It’s been too long since I’ve been laid.._ your mind wanders to what it would feel like if his hand moved just a little higher-

Your conversation and thoughts were loudly interrupted by Joe, who suddenly grabbed Mellie, pulling her to an empty area of the bar “ Yeeww! C’mon lil Logan, you promised me another dance this week!” Joe and Mellie laugh as he pulled her into a quick two step around the bar.

Your smile lights up as you watch the two dance, missing the days when you would go out to the country bars and dance the night away. You begin to sway in your seat, moving your upper body to the beat of the music while taking sips from your drink- watching the two in awe. 

Jimmy suddenly speaks up as his hands slap down on the bar-top “Clyde you better get this lady a’ yours on the dance floor before I do. Ain’t that right Sylvia?” She nods quickly, seeming to be feeling her alcohol with a lopsided smile “Or me! You don’t wan’t one a’ us stealin’ yer gal now do ya?”

Jimmy gives you a wink before you move your gaze to Clyde, his attention on Mellie and Joe dancing. He’s doing that thing he does-when you can tell he’s thinking entirely too hard about something-his eyebrows furrowed as he chews on the inside of his darn cheek, _that thing must be raw the amount of times he does that in a day._

“C’mon Clyde! Everyone knows you’re a great dancer! Jimmy and I can watch the bar for ya!” Sylvia encourages him.

Clyde’s looking back and forth between you and the dancing couple in the middle of the bar, his hands clenching and un-clenching at his side. He hasn’t two stepped in a bit and don’t wanna’ make a fool a’ himself in front a’ you. His gaze finally settles on you, he see’s you looking at him in anticipation, your mouth slightly open, hands wringing in your lap as you wait for him to make a decision. He can’t say no to you when you’re lookin’ at him like that- in that cute lil’ number, wearing those sexy boots.

He’s made up his mind as he takes a deep breath in and makes his way around the bar. He can hear you make a sound of delight, which has him grinin’ and shakin’ his head as you turn in your bar stool, following his trek around the counter.

“Whatchu’ think sunshine? Wanna join me for a dance?” he asks you while holding out his hand.

You don’t think twice as you take his hand and follow him out into the open bar, at the same time you can hear “Passing Lane” by The Charlie Daniels Band come on-one of your favorites.

He grabs your hand in his right while his prosthetic rests on your lower back, his hips pressing into you as he rocks with you to the beat of the music. You can feel his breath on your cheek as the two of you dance and you smell that faint aroma you got back on your first date-earth and musk mixed with a little beer this time.

Your heart starts to pick up in your chest as the warmth of his body mixes with your own. If you thought his hand resting on your knee was a lot, him gyrating his hips against yours is enough to send you over the edge. You can feel a heady throb between your legs and a flush fall over your cheeks.

He begins to spin you back and forth to the music, you swerving in and out from under his arm. His size certainly makes spinning him a challenge, but he’s a good lead, and makes it work for both of you. You notice he’s paying close attention to where you are in relation to his prosthetic, doing most of the major moves with his other. As always, a serious look graces his features, but his eyes are glowing, you can tell he’s happy which makes you smile wide.

He moves to dip you and you take advantage of the situation, arching your back a little further than usual. While this move happened quickly, you can see your plan worked as you notice Clyde staring at your chest as you make your way back up.

Clydes tryin’ hard not to look, but seeing the long column of your neck lead down to the dip between your breasts, it’s makin’ it hard for him to concentrate on his footin’, but he manages. He’s loving the feeling of your curves under his hands as he feels up and down your body during the dance. He loves when you brush your hands across his tight abdomen as you walk around him seductively. He sees your eyes focusin’ on his-your stare is unwavering, and he can see how dark your pupils are even under the dim lighting of the bar.

Clyde gulps, his adams apple bobbing up and down before he spins you back towards him, he catches the faint smell of your shampoo as your hair brushes past him- lavender he thinks. He pulls you close, his legs slightly parted so you can fit your thigh between them. He can feel your leg brush slightly against the front of his pants and he growls low in his throat, emitting the sound that only you can hear. He places his mouth right next to your ear as he gyrates his hips against yours, the jukebox drowning out what comes from his mouth next.

“Darlin’ you’re killin’ me” Clyde whispers breathily, his facial hair brushing against your cheek as he talks.

You smile innocently as you brush your thigh against the front of his pants again, you can feel him begin to get erect “If this is any indication, I’d say you’re doing just fine Mr. Logan.”

He groans before spinning you around quickly, your back pressed against his front, his arms wrapped around you as you sway to the music. You lay your head back against his shoulder and your eyes flutter shut with the feeling of his hardening cock against you.

You sigh as his name passes your lips, the end drawing out desperately as you push back against him. You feel like you’ve lost sense of yourself, like it’s only you and Clyde in the bar now.

* * *

That’s all it takes, you sayin’ his name just like for him to lose his composure, he can’t take it anymore. He spins you out of his arms, guiding you to sit down at one of the barstools. He sees a confused look on your face which quickly disappears when he yells “Alright everybody out! Bars shuttin’ for the night!” He drowns out the “hoots and hollars” from Mellie and Jimmy before he quickly guides, Earl, the last bar patron out the door “Earl, it’s on your tab, see ya tomorrow.” He quickly locks the door before quickly turning off the neon “open” sign.

You watch Clyde as he ushers everyone out of the bar, your breath hitching in your throat when you see his face as he turns around. He looks absolutely feral. His eyes are dark and his nostrils are flaring, you watch as his jaw ticks while he quickly makes his way back to you. You can feel your pussy clench as heat pools between your legs-this is a side of Clyde you haven’t seen yet, and you’re definitely not complaining.

He grabs your bare thigh with his prosthetic as his other hand tangles in your hair, pulling your lips to his in a searing kiss. You know Clyde can’t always pinpoint the amount of pressure the grip on his prosthetic has, but you don’t mind how tightly its grabbing you now. You enjoy the feel of the cold metal as it digs into your skin. His hot mouth a vast contrast as he nips at your bottom lip, taking claim to your body.

You open your legs to accept his wide frame between them. Your hands moving frantically up his chest before pulling at his shirt free it from his pants, quickly moving your hands to touch his skin beneath.

Clyde hisses when he feels your hands glide across his bare stomach before he pulls your face back up to his, his tongue gliding against yours. Clyde can’t think straight anymore, he’s never done this with someone on a second date, but he’s tired of thinking.

Right now, Clyde just wants to _feel._

Clyde breaks the kiss as he feels you fumble for his belt. He grabs your hands to slow you down, resting his forehead against yours as blush scatters across his cheeks- his breathing slightly labored.

“ladies first” he says as he moves to place open mouthed kisses along your neck. Your skin is so hot and you can feel each kiss cool down before he moves to place another, causing a heady moan to spill from your lips and your head to fall back.

You fumble for the straps of your romper, pulling them down to expose your bare breasts. He quickly captures one of your nipples in his mouth-sucking and biting before he pinches the other with his prosthetic.

“C-c-Clydee” you moan out breathlessly as you run your hands through the soft wavy strands of his hair, tugging when he nips a little harder.

You push him back only to kick off your boots and remove your romper the rest of the way, leaving you only in your panties. You can feel his eyes on you, his gaze penetrating. You look up and see him staring at you, his chest heaving as he breathes rapidly. Typically, you would feel exposed like this, but with Clyde, it’s different. You _want_ him to look at you like he is now- like you’re the only thing that matters, because in reality that is how you feel on the inside. You are captivated by Clyde, and you want everything he has to give you.

He shakes his head in disbelief before he easily picks you up and sets you on the bar top, looking you in the eyes as he says “You’re so beautiful, you gotta know what yer doin’ t’me.”

You smile, grabbing his face in both of your hands, pulling him in for a slow, sensual kiss. You love the feel of his facial hair brushing against your soft skin. You can feel his large palms resting against your legs, slowly spreading them further apart. You break the kiss before pulling him closer as you work on the buttons of his shirt. Once they are undone, he removes it form his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground before pulling his undershirt up and over his head.

You bite your lip when you see his happy trail, which you slowly move your hands over before palming his hard cock through his pants. He groans deeply letting his head fall back whispering “fuck”.

“Clyde- I-I want to see you” It’s almost pained the way you say it, you can feel how big he is through his pants. The thought of his hard cock filling you- stretching you, is agonizing.

He nods biting his lip, eyebrows drawn together as he quickly undoes his belt before unfastening his pants. You don’t waste any time moving his hand away so you can pull his hard length out for you to see. He’s groaning again trying hard not to buck into your palm as he watches you look hungrily at his length-the tip weeping in excitement.

You let a loud moan leave your lips as you take him in. His eyes are hooded as he watches you hold his thick cock in your hands, his hair disheveled from you running your hands through it. Sweat glistens on his skin defining every freckle that graces his chest. His pecs broad and his nipples peaked from pleasure.

You let your gaze fall further as you continue to pump him in your hand, using his precum as lube. Clyde’s cock matches the rest of him- it’s big. You watch your hand lazily stroke up and down moving across the large veins along that grace the sides. Your amazed that your hand can’t fit completely around him, and you know he’s going to hit the deepest places inside of you, your panties soaked at the thought.

Clyde growls in his throat “Lay back darlin’.” 

while he loves the feeling of your hand on his cock, he needs to do something that he’s been thinkin’ about now for a while now. His instincts taking over as he watches as you comply to his request, watchin’ your tits rise and fall with your rapid breathing. He starts pumping his cock slowly with his right hand while he hooks your panties in his other- attempting to pull them down, but failing.

You giggle before wiggling them down your legs and kicking them somewhere off to the side. You let your legs fall open, the cool air hitting your wet center.

Clyde takes a deep breath in. He ain’t never seen nothin’ so beautiful in his entire life. Here you are- on his bar-naked as the day you were born, your legs spread wide and he can see your slick shining between your folds. _You’re that wet, and for him?_ _Fuck_ he thinks before bending down to swipe his tongue lazily across your clit.

You arch your back and immediately tangle your hands in his hair “Fuck, Clyde!”

He grins against you as he continues his assault, his tongue relentlessly moving back and forth across your sensitive nub. He releases his grip on himself and rubs the pad of one large finger across your entrance, pushing in when he feels you start to contract- he can tell you’re close.

You gasp when Clyde pushes one finger inside of you, only to be quickly followed by another large digit. Your amazed by how full you feel just with his fingers, and you’re having a hard time imagining his cock fitting inside of you. You bite back a moan as he curls his fingers repeatedly over your g-spot, trying hard to pull your orgasm from you.

Clyde feels high from the sounds that are coming from you, your moans and sighs, the squelching sound of your pussy as he pushes in and out of your tight, wet entrance. The smell of your lust alone is intoxicating, coating his fingers as he continues to devour your folds, nipping, sucking, biting.

You suddenly climax, closing your eyes tightly as you moan his name. Clyde continues to lap at your folds, his fingers pumping in and out of you as he brings you down for your orgasm.

He kisses the inside of each of your inner thighs before wiping his face with the back of his hand-his facial hair glistening with your slick.

He trails kisses back up your body as he captures your mouth with his. You moan when you can taste traces of yourself on his lips and tongue. You can feel his wet fingers digging into your side, so you break away to pull them into your mouth, sucking them clean as you watch Clyde’s eyes grow impossibly darker, the tick in his jaw now back.

You release his fingers with a pop before sitting up and grabbing his thick cock in your hand again, the tip weeping causing cum to drip down to his balls. You eagerly spread his excitement over his length and give him a squeeze. He’s impossibly hard now.

You place your lips right next to his ear as you whisper “You liked that didn’t you? now tell me, what’s going on in that head of yours?” 

Clyde lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as he slowly thrusts into your palm, trying to hold himself together “Darlin’ you don’t know how many nights I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout doin’ that to ya”

He closes his eyes tightly as he picks up his pace, fucking your hand a little faster now, speaking behind clenched teeth “you make me crazy, ain’t never done nothin’ like this. I’m tired-“ he moans low in his chest stopping when he feels himself getting close to cumming “-I’m tired of thinkin’. I- I jus’ _want_ you” He finishes pulling your hand off his cock before dragging your hips closer to the edge of the counter “Now hop down offa’ there and turn ‘round”.

You do as Clyde asks, hopping of the counter before bending over, your backside on full view for him to see. You can hear him kicking off his boots and pants before rustling for something out of his pocket and you quickly interrupt him “Clyde you don’t need that, just fuck me already”. You’re almost pleading now; you _need_ to feel him inside of you.

You hear him drop his pants, the belt clanking onto the floor before you feel his hands-both flesh and metal holding your hips tightly before his right hand moves to position his thick cock at your entrance.

Slowly, Clyde pushes inside of you, stretching you. You shut your eyes tightly, tears forming in the corners as you feel the sting of being stretched so far, only for the pain to quickly mix with pleasure as you adjust to the feeling of him.

“Fuuucckk darlin’ your pussy is so fuckin’ tight” he leans forward whispering in your ear while he lets you continue to adjust to his size “you hold on real tight to that bar top an’ don’t be lettin’ go ya hear?” 

You nod your head as you bite your lower lip, reaching up to grab onto the edge of the counter. You can’t help yourself as you slowly begin to push back, fucking yourself against Clyde’s cock-pleasure now fulling taking over.

Clyde let’s his desire take over as he begins pounding into you from behind. He can see your tits bounce with each thrust, your tight cunt griping his dick as he pulls out only to quickly push back in, and it’s only edging him further along. He leaves his prosthetic on your hip and moves his right hand to rub your clit at an agonizing pace.

You’re in near tears as Clyde repeatedly hits your cervix before angling his hips and hitting your g-spot over and over. “Fuck Clyde I-I’m gonna’ I’m-“

“Sunshine just let go. I gottchu’ ” Clyde grunts, a thin sheen of sweat covering his body, his dark hair plastered to his forehead.

He’s tryin’ hard to focus on all the different sensations that are happening at once. Your tight pussy gripping his dick, the squelching sound it makes as his balls slap your skin from behind with each thrust, his fingers working your slick clit from the front.

The sounds you’re makin’ bringing his balls tight up against his body as he feels your pussy starting to grip his cock impossibly tighter, he can feel his climax close as he growls in your ear “I’m gonna’ cum so fuckin’ deep in this tight pussy and you’re going to cum for me too ain’t ya?”

You nod quickly, your breathing heavy as you feel his thrusting begin to get sloppy. He pulls one of your hands away from the counter top, so you can take over rubbing your clit. Clyde slams into you one more time, groaning low in his chest. The veins in his neck popping out as he holds you against his pelvis, your pussy completely sheathing his cock as he cums deep inside you. He’s still cumming when he starts to fuck you with his slowly softening dick, bringing you to your own orgasm.

You cry his name out as you climax, rapidly pushing yourself back against Clyde’s cock, riding your high before letting your head fall against your chest exhausted.

* * *

You can feel Clyde rest his slick forehead on your upper back as his hands rub lazily up and down your hips. He presses a kiss to your skin before pulling out, quickly grabbing a rag from the bar to clean you both up.

There is a peaceful silence as Clyde helps you find your discarded clothes around the bar. You both laugh when he finds your panties landed on the jukebox.

“Good aim sunshine’” He’s giving you one of those rare but earth-shattering smiles as he too gets dressed.

Clyde pats a bars tool signaling for you to sit so he can help you put your boots back on. The vision of him helping you get dressed is enough to make your heart ache.

  
This man has such a duality to him-incredibly sweet but also absolutely primal. You love that about Clyde. _Is it too soon to love him? Is this what love feels like?_ You think to yourself. You’ve never been in love after all and you’ve only known Clyde for a short time. You’re starting to understand Clyde when he says you make him crazy, because in all seriousness- he makes you crazy too.

You smile sweetly as you watch him work hunched down by your feet, slipping one boot on followed by the other as the question leaves your lips. 

“Come home with me Clyde?” You’re nervous that this might be moving too fast for him. You know he said he’s never done anything like this before, and you believe him, because you haven’t either.

He gets up from his crouched position with a grunt which makes you laugh. The smile you hardly ever see still present on his face as he leans in to nuzzle into your neck, his response slightly muffled

“mhmm. You’re drivin’ though ‘cause, well-“ He pauses to leave small kisses along your neck as he chuckles “-cause well you know my history.”

You both laugh at Clyde’s joke before you help him wipe off the counter tops and lock up the bar.

The drive home feels much shorter than earlier, your big mountain man riding shotgun, your hand in his as you roll down the rocky forest road towards your lonely cabin in the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone interested in what I picture when I see the reader and Clyde dancing, this is what comes to mind: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jHy3Vc-jx0


	6. Chapter 6

It’s dawn when you turn over lazily in bed to gaze at the lumbering man snoring softly beside you. The early morning light from your bedroom window casts streaks of sun across his speckled skin as you take him in. Your life in Boone County, your life with Clyde, had been bliss. You smile softly as you recall the past few weeks with him. You two had been “goin’ steady” as Clyde calls it for about a month now, and you couldn’t be happier. When you’re not at work you’re either at the bar or his trailer, and when you’re not there you are off adventuring somewhere with your mountain man, that is, when you two aren’t naked in a mess of limbs. You shake your head and fight the smile that threatens to spill from behind your lips as you think back to the quickie you two had last night on your deck, the cool night breeze touching your bare skin, the crickets singing into the night around you.

You watch as Clyde rolls over onto his back, stretching his arms out followed by a deep groan before resuming his snoring. Your sweet smile turns devious as you note his already half hard cock in his black briefs. You scoot closer to Clyde being careful not to scare him as you snuggle into his side, inhaling his musky yet woodsy scent as you rest your head on his chest.

Clyde lets out a small moan, his eyebrows drawing slightly together in his sleep as you run your palm down the contours of his chest and abdomen. You feel the coarse hairs of his happy trail before you grip his half hard cock through the dark fabric.

“Sunshine?” Clyde groans out as his hips instinctively seek out your touch before he continues “Sunshine why you gettin’ inta so much trouble so early?” he says, his voice slightly gravely from sleep as a coy smile plays across his face. One of his eyes peaks open to look at you as you work his length.

You smile sweetly before nuzzling into his neck. You leave a trail of open-mouthed kisses as you dip your hand underneath the waist band of his briefs, gripping his already weeping cock in your hand. You give it a few slow lazy pumps before you reply to his question.

“‘Cause getting into trouble with you is so much fun cowboy”, you say breaking away from his neck to pull his mouth towards yours, taking his full pouty lower lip between your teeth which in turn pulls another groan from him.

Clyde lets out a loud growl before pulling you on top of him which elicits a squeal of surprise from you.

“Clyde Logan you dirty man,” you moan out as your grind yourself against his cock while his large right hand reaches up under his baggy shirt that you wore to bed to pinch your nipple, his stump resting against your thigh.

“Only for you darlin’,” he says before letting out a long groan when you grind your wet slit just right against his aching dick. He shuts his eyes tightly as he throws his head back against his pillow, exposing his speckled neck to you.

You love seeing Clyde lose himself like this. You love seeing this serious man let down his guard and lose himself in you. He loses himself in the very same way you get lost in him. Each time you emerge together and stronger than ever.

You don’t dare to tease him much longer as he begins to rut his hips up into you, his dark eyebrows drawn together and a light sheen of sweat covering his bare chest. He whimpers when you lift yourself off of him, reaching down to pull his aching cock out from his briefs before moving your panties to the side, your pussy dripping and clenching in anticipation of what’s to come next.

You grip his cock as you slowly lower yourself down onto him, your cunt accepting all that he has to give.

“Ohhh Clyydee,” you moan out as you feel his length stretch you, filling you completely as he bottoms out inside of you. You’re amazed that each time you have to adjust to his size even though he just claimed you the night prior.

He props himself upright using his right hand while wrapping his stump around your back to support your weight as you ride his cock at a slow sensual pace. He nuzzles his face against your clothed breasts, groaning around your nipples as he sucks and bites at them through the fabric of your shirt. He can tell your close by the way your pussy is getting tighter and tighter around him. He can’t help himself as he begins to thrust up to meet you.

“Such a good girl. C’mon, cum on this cock fer me,” he says before you lean back against his stump, your breasts pushed forward, your head rolling back in the process. You reach down between your legs to rub small circles around your throbbing clit as you continue your slow, lazy pace against him.

Clyde grunts again “lift yer hips up darlin’.” You do as he says only to be rewarded by him pounding his hips rapidly into you. You look down letting out a loud moan as you watch his abdomen flex with each thrust, your slick now covering the dark hair that surrounds his hard dick.

His thrusts start becoming slopping, the veins in his neck bulging with effort. “I’m gonna’-I’m gonna’,” He doesn’t have to finish his sentence as you climax around him. You let out a moan of release as he follows closely behind you, filling you up with his hot cum.

He lets go of you only to lay back against the mattress while letting out a heavy breath, his cheeks puffing out as he does. You laugh lightly as you follow his descend down, laying your head underneath his chin as you listen to his heart pump loudly in his chest.

You sigh while you move to get up, only pausing to give Clyde a peck on the lips before letting him slip from your body.

You then climb off the bed, adjusting your panties back into place before heading towards the bathroom while yelling behind you “gotta hop in the shower and get ready for work hun.” You return to Clyde with damp washcloth in your hands.

As you go to hand him the cloth, he gently grabs onto your wrist looking at you with a dark serious gaze. “Don’t take a shower. I want you full a’ me, so when you walk in those doors at Monroe…each one of those men know to keep their hands offa’ ya.”

Heat rises to your face at the thought of having Clyde’s seed deep inside of you as you work, and while you know from a scientific standpoint that none of those men would know any better, you agree to his request by biting your lip and smiling widely. 

Clyde nods quickly taking your response as a “yes”, working on the inside of his lip already as he focuses on cleaning himself off. He tucks himself back into his briefs, letting a big yawn escape his lungs. You already know he will be back to sleep in no time.

“You commin’ by the bar after work Sunshine? Bein’ it’s Friday n’ all?” he asks with closed eyes and heavy breathing. 

You smile sweetly at him as you work into your uniform, loving that Clyde is comfortable staying at your house.

“Yeah big bear. I’ll be there.”

* * *

It’s another busy Friday night at Duck Tape. It’s nights like these that you enjoy sitting at the bar top watching Clyde work. The way he moves with his high-tech prosthetic always impresses you.

You’re still in your scrubs sipping on a summer ale without a worry in the world knowing that no one in this small community cares that you’re grabbing a drink after a long days work. You’ve been talking off and on to some of the regulars who you have grown to know and love. You know how much this bar means to Clyde, how much these people mean to Clyde, and you’re so happy you’ve been welcomed into this little world of his with open arms.

“So that’s what I’ve been doin’. You think I shoulda’ tried somethin’ else first?” Earl says, pulling your attention from Clyde at the bar and back to the conversation that you were having.

You shake your head to clear your thoughts of Clyde before replying, “No Earl, I think that’s great you found something that worked for you. Plus, you can’t fire yourself so why the heck not?” You say before you both break out laughing at your poor attempt at humor.

You’re busy chatting with Earl about how medical marijuana has been helping with his joint pain when all of a sudden, a rowdy group of patrons enter the bar. They are shouting and laughing loudly before they settle down and decide to order drinks, taking their place a few seats away form you and Earl.

As you look over Earl’s shoulder at the new guests, you feel as though you have seen them before, but you can’t quite seem to place their faces. _They must not come into the bar too often_ you think to yourself before turning to Clyde to see what his reaction was to the obnoxious group.

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion as you see Clyde’s lip purse into a deep scowl, his eyes growing dark, his posture straightening up as he moves to take their order. You can tell he is uncomfortable with their presence, but you know he won’t kick anyone out unless he has a reason. 

You try not to dwell on it to much as you take a sip of your beer and return to your chat with Earl, but you can’t help notice the feeling of unease that settles deep within your stomach. Something just isn’t right with those men that entered the bar.

* * *

Things were slowing down at the bar giving Clyde several opportunities to take a break from mixing drinks to spend some time with you.

He was currently sitting in front of you talking about the new book that you just bought for him. His prosthetic is resting on your knee as his other hand holds yours where it rests on the counter. He’s got a light in his eyes as he talks about the chapter he read to you last night right before you both went to bed. This seems to be your nightly ritual weather you are at his trailer or in your cabin, there is always a book that you two read together.

You smile as you watch his expressions change in such a “Clyde” way-slight but full of meaning while he brings up his favorite parts. It’s at this moment that you can’t help but feel as though someone is watching you, the hair on the back of your neck raising as you make eye contact with the person who is looking at you. It’s one of the men from earlier and his gaze is unwavering and sinister as he flips a coin back and forth across his tattooed knuckles.

Clyde must notice your sudden change in expression as he stops his current train of thought.

“Hey…,” he reaches up to touch your cheek, pulling your gaze back to his deep brown eyes “Sunshine what’s wrong?”

You don’t want to cause any problems when Clyde is having such a good night at the bar, so you brush it off by smiling up at your man in-front of you.

“I’m okay Hun. I just thought I recognized one of those men that came in earlier is all.”

Clyde purses his lips, huffing air out of his nose before he speaks, gripping your hand a little tighter as he does. “You mean ta tell me you don’t remember that Emmett character from the clinic?”

Your jaw drops as the realization hits you. How you could you forget him? You’re blaming it on his hair being grown out and his arms being covered by a long sleeve shirt. His stature, rotted teeth, and perverted gaze all remain unchanged from that day he grabbed you in the clinic.

“Wha…How?” Your expression becomes confused as you have difficulty forming your question. You look to Clyde for some kind of answer “How could he have gotten out so soon? He did some pretty serious stuff before getting locked up.”

Clyde briefly looks over his shoulder at the man in question before returning his gaze to you. “Monroe is a tiny place. Folks get less time on accounta’ there ain’t many other jails for them to go to.” He pauses for second, pursing his lips and looking down as he thinks “How you think Joe got out after doin’ so many robberies?”

You throw your head back and laugh loudly before raising your eyebrows high in disbelief. “You mean to tell me-” You pause to blink your eyes exaggeratedly while shaking your head before you continue“-that Joe Bang, an _armed robber_ and _that_ man, an abusive sack of shit-got out early for good behavior and _you?_ The sweetest man I know serves a full nine months for a slip of his foot?” You huff in frustration as Clyde tucks a stray hair behind your ear. He’s smiling watching you get all worked up.

You grumble under your breath at how much bullshit that is as Clyde chuckles, pulling your forehead to his lips for a quick kiss. He then pulls your chin up so you are looking at him as he talks quietly while staring deep into your eyes “Now I ain’t sayin’ it’s fair sunshine, but If I wasn’t there my full nine months? Who knows if I woulda’ met you, and that ain’t somethin’ worth gamblin’ on” He finishes with a hint of a lopsided smile before pulling your lips to his in a sweet but passionate kiss.

Clyde breaks away from you when he hears a patron call out for him asking for another beer. He gives you another quick peck on your forehead before he moves back behind the bar.

It’s not long after you realize that Emmett is no longer in his seat before he throws himself down onto the stool that Clyde had just inhabited.

You roll your eyes before quickly snapping “What do you want Parrish?” knowing you better shut down whatever this is before it even has time to start.

“Now Babydoll that ain’t no way to say hi to an ole’ pal now is it?” He asks you as his gaze peers up and down your body. You’re insanely happy you aren’t wearing anything too revealing. Your skin is practically crawling as his dark gaze lands on your breasts.

You roll your eyes again before whispering harshly as to not draw attention to Clyde who was busy with the bar “Listen, I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish by starting this conversation, but whatever it is? I’m not interested.”

Emmett leans back in his chair, looking to Clyde before turning back to you and licking his lips as he leans in, his hot breath on your face as he speaks “You sure bout’ that Babydoll? As far as I can see your fuckin’ your way through the inmates and I’m wantin’ to know when it’s gonna’ be my turn.”

You mind flashes back to that night in Colorado as Dr. Perez pressed you against your car.

_You could feel his hot breath on your face as he spoke._

**_…_ Your vision begins to blur as tears form in your eyes.**

_“I know you want this; I could see the way you were looking at me all night.”_

**…Your breathing picks up as you quickly look between Emmett and Clyde.**

_“I know nurses like you, always walking around, acting so innocent while you flirt with the docs just so you can get what you want.”_

You push Emmett away as you bolt out of the bar, grabbing your bag and running straight for your truck not daring to look back as you hear the bastard yelling after you. You don’t dare to listen to what he has to say. You knew this would happen. You knew you shouldn’t have let your guard down and got involved with Clyde no matter how much he means to you. You always knew your past would find you, it pulling you down into the dark abyss of shame, and you’re not willing to let it pull Clyde down with you.

* * *

Clyde hears Emmett yelling and turns to see what all the fuss is about when he sees your empty seat and the door to the bar slamming shut.

He can feel the blood rushing to his ears as his vision turns red. Clyde quickly moves around the bar grabbing Emmett by the collar and pulling him outside.

“Now Clyde, be reasonable! She’s just some hussy!”

Clyde doesn’t listen as he pushes the man back so he stumbles down the steps of the porch, a grunt leaving him as his butt hits the dirt.

Clyde bellows as he looks down at the poor excuse of a man “I fuckin’ told you once she ain’t your plaything! I fuckin’ told you to keep your fuckin’ hands off a’ her!” He starts descending the stairs quickly looking behind him to make sure no one was watching to closely as he steps on Emmett’s fingers. He can hear them crunch beneath the weight of his cowboy boots as the man tries to hold in a scream behind his closed lips. Clyde has a snarl on his face as he speaks his next words “Now you better listen, and you better listen good ya hear? You step foot in this here bar? You even so much as look at Y/N? You’ll get more than a few broken fingers.” Clyde steps off of Emmett’s hand who now cradles his fingers against his chest. “Now get the fuck off my property!”

He watches as Emmett walks away before he tries to call you, it ringing straight through to your voicemail.

Your truck is gone, you’re declining his calls. Clyde feels a piece of himself sink into the darkness of the parking lot surrounding him. He feels his heart heavy in his chest as he dials Jimmy’s number, he needs his big brother now more than ever.

Clyde can’t lose you. He can’t lose you before he’s even had a chance to tell you how he feels-to tell you he loves you. 


	7. Chapter 7

It had been a long time since Clyde had called on his brother like that: frantic and anxiety ridden. It had at least been since he first came home from the war or even further back when they were youngin’s. Clyde felt in over his head when it came to matters of love, especially when it was still so fresh, so new. He didn’t want to mess this up more than he already had, and Jimmy was the best person to talk to when it came to lady troubles, him bein’ a divorced man an all.

As Clyde sat on the steps of his bar bathed in the dull glow of the streetlights around him, he thought of all the possible things Emmett could have said to scare you off. Did he say something about Clyde’s behavior when he first came back from Iraq? About his Jumpiness and outbursts? Did this information plus you seeing his dark side in the clinic towards Parrish scare you off?

Clyde prided himself on keeping off the radar as far as the town gossip came, but when he first arrived back from his final tour overseas, he came home a lost man who had to find himself again. He felt like everyone in Boone County was watching him, waiting for his next misstep. It was a dark time for him, but it was in his past. He knows you’ve worked with Veterans before, but maybe it was all too much too soon?

_Everyone has a past with skeletons in their closet. Didn’t they?_ Clyde thought to himself as he sat waiting for his brother to arrive.

“Ahhh shit.” Clyde says, cursing under his breath as he buries head in his hands. The cool metal of his prosthetic typically doesn’t bother him, but tonight it continues to remind him of his difficulties after the war.

Clyde isn’t waiting much longer as he hears loose gravel kick up underneath the tires of Jimmy’s Ford pickup as he comes barreling into the parking lot. Jimmy quickly parks the truck before making his way to his brother, his usual limp even more pronounced in his rush to get to Clyde, sitting down before wrapping his arm around Clyde’s big shoulders and pulling his head to his chest.

“What happened Clyde?” Jimmy asks, his deep drawl full of concern.

Clyde pulls himself from his brother’s grasp, cradling his head in his hands again as he recalls the night. Jimmy sits listening intently as his brother tries to find his words-

“I just…she was…she was at the bar one minute and then next she was just gone. Even her truck was long gone! Whatever he said musta’ scared her real good ‘cause she high-tailed it out a’ here,” he says as he grips his hair, pulling the long strands as he takes a deep inhale through his nose.

Jimmy gives Clyde a couple of firm pats on his back as he speaks “Sounds like we oughta get ourselves a cold one and hash this out. Now, I know yer upset about all this, but that girl’s crazy ‘bout you. I know it, and everyone else ‘round these parts knows it. Now, lets get up and get inside ‘fore all these skeeters drive me up a wall,” Jimmy says as he bats a few mosquitos out of his face with his heavily worn baseball cap. 

* * *

Empty beer bottles scatter across the bar top and Patsy Cline sings softly in the background as Clyde and Jimmy play another round of pool. Clyde walking his brother through what happened that night and the past few weeks with you.

“So what yer tellin’ me is that ya’ll been acting like a darn married couple right up to the point where that asshole opened that big mouth a’ his?” Jimmy asks as he takes his shot, sinking the pool ball in the right pocket.

“That’s exactly what I’m sayin’. It just don’t make any sense.” Clyde says, resting his large frame on his pool cue watching his brother walk around the worn table. “ I jus’ can’t help but keep thinkin’ that Emmett said something about how I was…how I was when I got back after my last tour, after my accident.” Clyde huffs out, his eyebrows furrowed, and lips pursed as he looked down at his worn cowboy boots deep in thought.

“Hey none a’ that. It’s yer turn.” Jimmy called out to Clyde when he could see he was feeling down again, trying his best to keep his little brother distracted from those self-destructive thoughts. Logan’s are tough, real salt of the earth folks, but he knows what it’s like to lose your first love. Bobbie jo and him were thick as thieves in high school but somewhere down the line after Sadie was born, they lost that. 

Jimmy watches as Clyde takes his shot, lining up his pool cue with the solid eight ball in the center but missing his pocket by just a few inches. Clyde doesn’t even react. He straightens out his large frame and sets his pool cue to the side before walking back to the bar top to take a seat and another swig of his beer. This sight is all too familiar to Jimmy, and it brings a rush of memories back to when Clyde first got injured. They would often spend late nights at a random pool hall just shootin’ the shit to get Clyde’s mind off things, but back then he would rest the pool cue on his healing stump, no fancy prosthetic to help him along. He sets his own pool cue to the side taking his spot next to his brother.

“Clyde, that girl has stars in her eyes when she looks at you, there ain’t no way she would judge you for your past even if that asshat Parrish told her about it. It’s gotta’ be somethin’ else.”

Clyde swallows his beer down, his adams apple bobbing as he does. He sets the now empty bottle to the side, looking at his brother with a furrowed brow and his iconic deep pout. 

“Ya think so?” Clyde asks, looking up at Jimmy from behind his dark lashes.

“I know so ya big Dummy. Now, what else could have it been that done scared her off, and how do we get her talkin’ to ya?” Jimmy asks Clyde before his phone begins to buzz in his coverall pocket. He leaves his brother to think on the question as he reads his incoming text message from Sylvia.

Clyde turns away, his pout still in place as his eyes wander around Duck Tape looking for something that will spark an idea, but he isn’t thinking long as Jimmy pulls his attention back to him.

“Looks like that family curse your always talkin’ about ain’t so bad after all little brother. Sylvia just asked me to stop by your girls cabin to fix a broken sink. You leave this up to me. I’ve got a plan.”

_Great. Another Logan family plan…_ Clyde thinks to himself as a look of worry crosses his features as he watches his brother quickly down another beer.

* * *

Only a day had passed since that night at the bar with Emmett and you already missed Clyde terribly. Your cabin didn’t feel like a home without him here, you have grown used to waking up next to him for the past few weeks.

The good thing about living in a small town is that you don’t really need a cell phone. People will come knock on your door if they really need you, so you decided it would be better to just shut it off. You can’t imagine being able to hold yourself together if Clyde called wanting to know what happened and why you haven’t been returning his calls. 

You sigh as you roll over on your side in bed, the afternoon sun making its way through the sheer curtains in your room. The day is late, but you can’t bring yourself to get up. Your gaze lands on the book that you and Clyde had been reading together just a few nights prior and you can’t help the tears that start to form in your eyes.

You know you’ll have to tell Clyde what happened and why you haven’t returned his calls, but you’re not sure you’re ready to see the look on his face when he finds out about your reputation, no matter how untrue it is- unless Emmett has already spread the false news around town. You wouldn’t put it past him to make up some story about how he “banged the jail nurse behind her boyfriends bar.” The tears that threatened to spill earlier now fall freely down your face as you imagine Clyde’s reaction to hearing something like that.

_There is no way he would believe Emmett. Right?_ You think getting ahead of yourself with wild ideas. Emmett may not have even said anything but either way you owe Clyde an explanation, you just have to bring yourself to face him. Just thinking of seeing Clyde without being able to hold him-to touch him makes your chest ache.

With another exasperated sigh, you throw your quilt off of you and make your way to the bathroom. When you catch your reflection in the mirror, you hardly recognize yourself. Sure, you see the dark circles under your eyes from lack of sleep, but what really grabs your attention is the oversized T-shirt that graces your body, the T-shirt you stole from Clyde.

You reach down and pull the soft, worn fabric up to your nose, inhaling deep the combination of your own scent mixed with Clyde’s. You sniffle, fighting back more tears as you make your way to the shower, hoping the water will help clear your mind and make you feel better, but it doesn’t-and you don’t.

It’s already noon by the time you get dressed and begin to make your way to the kitchen, but you pause as you hear noises coming from within your home. You slowly backtrack to your bedside table, pulling out your small pistol and checking that it’s loaded before making your way quietly to the kitchen, your heart hammering in your chest.

The noises are getting louder now. It sounds like whoever has made their way into your tiny home is going through your cabinets searching for something, and while you hope it’s just a raccoon, you’re prepared for something more sinister.

You see a tuft of short brunette hair peaking out from under a baseball cap appear over your countertop. The intruder is facing away from you as they continue to rummage around in the cabinet under your sink. This is all the evidence you need as you aim your gun at them with shaky hands.

“I suggest you get the fuck out of here before I call the Sheriff!” You shout, hoping your tone sounds threatening.

“fuck!” the man belts out as he hits the top of his head on the sink above him. He immediately pauses his movements, holding his hands up in the air as he slowly turns to face you “Now jus’ wait a second there.”

His voice sounds familiar, but you can’t place it-

“Jimmy! What the fuck? I could have killed you!” you shout, bringing the gun down and putting the safety back on before setting it on the counter. You let out a shaky breath, your cheeks puffing out as you do. You can feel your pulse still hammering in your neck and the sheen of sweat now present on your palms.

“You kiss yer momma with that mouth?” Jimmy says before letting out a small grunt as he gets up from your kitchen floor, making his way to where you currently sit at the counter.

You shake your head still staring at him in disbelief as you speak “Jimmy, what are you doing in my house?”

“Well, since ya asked so nicely, I’ll tell ya. Member last night when you sent a lil text to Sylvia let her know your kitchen sink was done broke?” Jimmy says with every ounce of sassiness in his body as he leans over your counter to his rest his forearms in front of you, a small smirk on his face as he see’s the look of realization hit you. “Well, seein’ as I happen to be quite the handy man, Sylvia sent me. Now, ya see, I would have called, but Clyde tells me your phone seems to be broken. I took my chances just comin’ down and knockin’ on yer door, but that didn’t work either, so I just let myself in with the spare key.” Jimmy says, his voice softening as he peers up at you from his place at the counter.

“Now judging by the color drainin’ from yer face and those red, puffy eyes’ a yers I’d say you got somethin’ on your mind that’s keeping you out here isolated. Now, you wanna’ tell me what’s going on or you want me to guess?” Jimmy finally pauses allowing you to process what he’s said and give you the opportunity to come clean.

You lower lip starts to tremble as tears start to well up in your eyes again. You quickly look away from Jimmy, wiping at your eyes with your hands. You can hear him moving around the countertop to come and sit next to you.

You told Jimmy everything and he just listened, not once interrupting you. From your history back home with Dr. Perez, to your run in with Emmett at the bar the other night, there was no stone left unturned, and nowhere to hide as you waited for his response-

“Who gives a shit.” Jimmy responds with a very “matter-of-fact” tone.

“Excuse me?” you say, thinking you must not be hearing him right. _I just poured my soul out to him and all he has to say is “Who gives a shit?” I must not be hearing him right._

“You done heard me right missy. I said who gives a shit? If you think my brother cares about a bunch a’ rumors goin’ around this here town, you must not know him very well at all. You know how many people talk behind our backs saying we’re ‘simple minded folk?’ That we’re ‘spreadin’ the Logan family curse around?’ Jimmy takes off his cap and rubs one of his large calloused hands through his hair and over his face. “What I’m saying doll is that Clyde don’t care ‘bout all that. He knows better than any a’ them fools what it’s like to have someone judge you, to cast you out for somethin’ that aint true. Now if there is anyone you should be tellin’ all this to? It should be him. He’s been waitin’ on you to come back to him ever since you left the bar.”

_He has?_ You ask yourself as you quickly hop off the barstool in a dash to grab your shoes and keys. You catch yourself, backstepping to envelop Jimmy in a crushing hug as you whisper “thank you” before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek and scurrying to the door.

“Don’t mention it! He’s at the bar!” he yells after you just before you slam the door to the cabin, wasting no time in your rush to get to Clyde.

“Yeah, don’t mind me… just fixin’ relationships and kitchen sinks free a’ charge. Crazy kids.” Jimmy mumbles under his breath, fixing his hat back on his head as he moves to take his place back under your kitchen sink with a wrench in hand.

* * *

You try and calm your nerves as you pull the Bronco into the empty parking lot of Duck Tape. Even after Jimmy told you that Clyde wouldn’t care about your past, that he’s been waiting for you to come back to him since the other night, you still can’t help the feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach, the thoughts of _“What if?”_ racing through your mind.

You swallow the lump in your throat as you make your way up the steps of the bar’s porch, the weathered wood creaking under your feet as you get closer and closer to the door. The moment you hear shuffling inside the building your pulse picks up even more, just knowing it’s Clyde getting ready to open the bar for the evening has you nervous and giddy all at the same time.

Pausing briefly to take one last deep breath and gather your nerves, you quickly open the door and walk inside.

“We ain’t-“Clyde begins to call out from behind the bar, pausing when he looks up to see you standing in the doorway, your eyes red and puffy from the amount of crying you’ve done today.

He sets down the glasses he had been holding in his hands onto the counter before rounding the bar top, stopping suddenly now feeling unsure of himself.

“Hey there sunshine” he whispers hoarsely before swallowing, his adams apple bobbing, his mouth suddenly dry. He can feel his throat tightening as he looks at you. He wasn’t sure he’d see you again.

“Hi.” You whisper back to him. It’s all too much seeing him like this. His deep brown eyes look so big and innocent looking at you, his lower lip pulled in a tight line as he tries to understand why you left and why you’re here now. Your chin begins to tremble as tears well in your eyes for the umpteenth time that day.

“Come here” is all Clyde has to say, his arms held out as you run to him, practically knocking him over as you jump into his arms. Your legs quickly wrap around his waist and your arms around his neck. The tears are falling freely now as he holds onto you.

“Shhh Sunshine it’s okay. I’m here now. It’s okay.” Clyde coos to you as he carries you back to the bar. You can feel his own tears spilling onto the crown of your head as he sets you down on the countertop before brushing your tears away with his big hands. He places a kiss on your forehead before pulling you against his chest. You can hear his heart beating quickly against your ear. You inhale deeply, gathering his scent before he pulls back to look down at you, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes glossy and red.

“You ready to tell me what yer runnin’ from?” Clyde asks, and you know he means more than just running away from the bar the other night. You could always sense he knew you were hiding something, but never wanted to push you. You can’t believe how lucky you are to have such a kind man like him in your life.

You nod your head yes as you sniffle.

“Alright then,” Clyde says taking a deep breath in before sitting on a barstool off to the side of you, his large hand now resting on your knee “I’m listenin’.”

* * *

“-and that’s why I ran. I just-I just couldn’t bear the thought of my reputation, no matter how fake it was tarnishing yours Clyde. You don’t deserve that.” you say, having relayed to Clyde the same story you told Jimmy just hours earlier.

“Darlin’ if anyone knows ‘bout tarnishin’ reputations it’s me. I wish ya’ would have told me all this earlier. I don’t care ‘bout none of that-“ Clyde says quietly before standing up and taking his place between your legs, pulling your chin to look up at him.

“When I came home from my last tour in Iraq-I wasn’t the same man you see standin’ before you,” Clyde says running a hand over your hair, pushing stray locks out of the way as he speaks, “I was scared and angry all the time. I had all these emotions that I jus’ didn’t know what ta do with, and that scared a lot of people ‘round here.”

He’s trailing his hands over your cheeks, your lips, your jaw as he speaks. He’s mapping your face as though he’s trying to commit every aspect of your features to memory. “Bobbie jo didn’t want to let me near Sadie, thinkin’ I’d snap and hurt her. People were stearin’ clear a’ me in town. I was lost until I found this here bar and put all that energy into fixin’ it up and runnin’ the place.” The corner of his mouth twitches into the faintest of smiles as he stares into your eyes, his dark pupils moving back and forth between your own.

“Oh Clyde,” you whisper, looking up at him as you reach up to rest your palms flat against his broad chest. You can feel his ribcage expand with each breath, can feel his heart pounding beneath your touch.

“What I’m gettin’ at is that we all have a past, but that don’t define who we are today. Now, I knew from the moment I met you that you had a whole lot a’ good in you, a whole lot of life in you. Shoot, look what I did just to get ya here ta begin with!” You both crack a smile and you can’t help the soft laugh that comes from you as you think back to your first date with “Logan”.

Clyde places both of his hands over yours on his chest. He’s chewing on his bottom lip and sporting his signature “I’m thinking hard about something” look before the next words come out of his mouth, words that knock the air from your lungs and make your heart sing.

“I love you Y/N,” Clyde says as he squeezes your hands in his “and I’ve known that fer some time now. I don’t care if you say it back to me right now. I know it’s only been a month, but my ma and pa got married after just a-“

You cut him off by crashing your lips against his, you missed the feel of his plush mouth against yours. Your mouths are moving in tandem as you put all of your pent-up emotions into this one moment. One of his hands moves to your jaw as he deepens the kiss, his breath coming out in short pants through his nose against your skin.

When you pull away your breathless not only from the kiss, but the smile that graces his face. It gets even bigger when the next words leave you “I love you too Clyde.”

He pulls your mouth back to his but softer this time, his touch so soft as his lips ghost across yours. He pulls back shortly after, releasing your hands to dig around in one of the small pockets of his Levi’s.

When he pulls his hand back out, your able to see what he holds in his grip: his grandfather Logan’s lucky horseshoe ring. The same ring that Clyde has worn everyday since you met him, the ring that he never takes off. He pulls your right hand to his and slips the ring onto your ring finger, and it fits perfectly.

“Clyde I-“ He cuts you off by pulling your lips to his in another quick kiss.

“I had Earl re-size it a few days before you left the bar…I wantcha’ in my life always. Whatever you’re willin’ to give me, however you’re willin’ to be with me. That’s enough for me. This is my promise to you.”

Clyde pulls your hand now adorned with his ring to his lips, kissing each of your knuckles as he speaks, his breath ghosting across your skin “What do ya say? Will you be mine?”

“I’ve always been yours Clyde Logan.” The words leave your lips as you take in the man before you with a smile. You’ve never been happier. Here in this bar, with this man, it feels as though your life has just begun.


End file.
